Veterans Day didn’t even exist until 1947. Before that it was called Armistice Day, in memory of the armistice signed between Germany and the Allies in World War I, bringing an end to fighting on the Western Front. Famously this took place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
- New York Times front page on November 11, 1918 that the Armistice is signed.
Joan is much affected by World War I. In fact, she sees her generation–those born after World War I in the Roaring 20s— as being ” a generation apart.” The entry below was written when Joan was 18, just 3 weeks before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II.
Thursday, November 13, 1941
Day before yesterday was Armistice Day, if you can call it that—1941 A.D. . . . If we live, we’ll look back on these days and know, perhaps, either that they were not as important as we thought they were—or that they were much more important. God, in the heavens, look down on the world! . . . Today they finally finished repealing the Neutrality Bill.[1] Arm our ships and send them into belligerent ports—drums beating louder now—we had a peace meeting at school day before yesterday—what the hell, what is Armistice? Time goes on.
The Treaty of Versailles finally brought an end to hostilities between Germany and the Allies in World War I and was signed in 1919. If you are interested, you can read the text of it through this site here.
- Treaty of Versailles, 1919
Home Front Girl 