Women And The War
By Our London Lady Correspondent
THE life of the feminine air warden is sometimes a hard one. One girl told me of her week-end experience. Complete with steel helmet she was patrolling a suburban road on her bicycle when she saw two men strolling home on the other side of the street. An air raid was on, and she stopped at once and asked if they knew where the nearest shelter was. VVirh meticulous care thev gave her directions where to go to find really good cover and, with a final admonition that :i'ne had "bettor hurry," passed on their way. She wa> too crushed to explain that her concern was for their safety and not for her own. She is quite confident, too. that they weri acting in g>xi faith and were genuinely concerned pt seeing a young girl out in the open ill time of danger. No Hay! Even in these democratic days Royal warrants are still regarded as an asset by the great tradesmen of London. From no one are they more eagerly sought than from Queen Mary. When she confer* a Royal warrant her Lord Ohaml>erlain inserts a stern stipulation that it will be withdrawn if Her Majesty has I reason to believe that any pecuniary advantage has been given or offered to any of her servants, but when she is satisfied she makes a point of recommending her tradesfolk to her friends. One Royal warrant sometimes leads to another. The late Queen Marie of Rumania was dissatisfied with her tea. Queen Mary recommended a certain famou« house with which she dealt, and Queen Marie promptly became a customer. She should not have been very difficult to please, her requirements being summed up in request for a blend | that tasted "neither of smoke, nor scent, j nor hay." | Patriotic Lapel Pins There is a new dress fashion in America —for patriotic lapel pins. People old enough to retncinl>er the South African war recall that everybody, from schooling's to grandmothers, used to wwir little brooch medallion; sihowing the picture of "Bol>s," linden Powell or some other hero of the time, The lapel pin fashion in the States i? on similar lines, but, instead of ttie portrait, the head of the pin consist#, of a dainitv red. white and blue enamel Im>w for (rreat Britain, and similar emblem* for other countries America is helping The pins are sold for ch«ritv, like oui flags for the Red Cross. Even one ol the smartest frocks at a recent cocktai party bad British lapel pins, instead oi jewelled clips, at the neck. Passing the Time Air raids are giving a new vogue tc the crossword puzzle. When gone ar« going off and bombs are falling, it is not easy to concentrate on ordinary reading In a semi-public shelter in whioh I tool cover I noticed several women intent 01 , crossword problems. Everyone follower I t'leir progress with interest, because, noi | infrequently, they appealed, when it 1 doubt, for assistance from those aboui r them. There were two or three Polisl ' women among the crowd of safety seekers. I was particularly interestec to notice that they seemed much bette read where English literatur* *vas con > owned than anybody else.
Nad Frightfulness Those who are sceptical about the machine-gunning of civilians by Nazi raiders should have seen, as I did, the roof of a private car owned by a girl running a mobile canteen. It was heavily perforated with bullet holes, and her own life was saved almost bv a miracle. Though the warning had gone she decided to make a l>olt for home, but was sto|»|>ed by soldiers, who advised her to crawl under her car. She had scarcely done so ltefore she was sprayed with machine-gun fire. A moment later a bomb exploded a couple of hundred yards ahead on the road along which she was travelling. It would almost certainly have hit her if she had carried on. As it \va.s she was badly shaken when tho soldiers dragged her from underneath the car and gave her restoratives. She told me that civilians had ' been deliberately machine gunned also just outside a nearby railway station. Teaching the Expert I doubt if even Henry Cotton could i tea-oh Miss Enid Wilson very much about - the game of golf. Nevertheless, we may » see her on the links one of these days j solemnly receiving instruction from the ex-Open champion. l*or she had the good luck the other day to draw, as ' prize in a lottery, the ticket giving her c the privilege of a free lesson from him. It will be something of a novelty for ' Henry Cotton himself, because he copies 1 the American practice. Instead of taking ' one pupil a.t a time, he drills them in 1 classes —and very effectively, too. Cot--1 ton is now in the R.A.F.. but when he s can get a few hours' leave I imagine 1 that both he and Miss Wilson will look > forward with amusement to the promised lesson. If the public are allowed to look on, still more half crowns should be. added to the Red Cross funds for which both are working.
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Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 297, 14 December 1940, Page 3 (Supplement)
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866Women And The War Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 297, 14 December 1940, Page 3 (Supplement)
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