"The First World War

During the First World War (1914-18), the Canadian Salvation Army's overseas activities were part of the much larger effort organized by British Salvationists. The latter established over 200 recreational huts (often no more than tents), 40 rest homes, and 96 hostels, all staffed by more than 1200 volunteers. The Canadian Salvation Army sent five military chaplains to the front and helped operate well-equipped huts, canteens, rest facilities, and hostels in Britain, France and Belgium. There, war-weary troops could bathe, refresh their clothing, eat decent food, and prepare themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually for the always difficult return to the trenches. Closer to the front, more Salvation Army officers provided refreshments and amenities, often under dangerous conditions. As Canadian soldier Will Bird wrote in his classic war memoir, Ghosts Have Warm Hands: "Every front-line soldier of World War I knew that his true friend was the man in the Salvation Army canteen." The troops coined the affectionate nickname 'Sally Ann' to describe the Salvation Army while the familiar Red Shield logo – the emblem of its war efforts – also dates from this period."

from http://www.civilization.ca/cwm/disp/dis012_e.html