YMCA
The war required a quick victory,which is why a massive draft was immediately organized. No clear system for home leave was included, however, before 1917. As revealed by letters, family members' home leave periods were eagerly anticipated, providing an opportunity for couples to be together and for fathers to be with their children. But the interactions between civilians and soldiers was sometimes bittersweet, especially in Paris, which many soldiers on leave transited and which seemed to be preserved from the war or at times even oblivious to it. Accommodations for soldiers staying in the capital were urgently needed, because many soldiers on leave could not return home, particularly those from occupied regions. Godmothers sometimes took in their “godsons,” and organisations such as the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) provided places to stay or have a meal and entertainment. The Poilus (the nickname of WWI soldiers, meaning “hairy” because they had few opportunities to shave at the front) energies had to be channeled as well, however, while also limiting the social complications associated with soldiers' short moments of liberty.
