A Place For Women In The Civil Guard

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 112, 5 February 1941, Page 11

A Place For Women In The Civil Guard

Sir, —I read with interest your cor. respondent’s letter regarding the part the women in New Zealand should be allowed to play in the defence programme. I, as an ex-air raid warden who has just arrived from London, would like endorse his remarks. The women at Home are taking a large and active part in England’s defence. Apart from the W.A.A.F.S., A.T.S., W.R.N.S., and N.A.F.1., etc., who are fulltime workers, there are tire women of the civil defence service— A.R.P. Taking my own warden’s post as an example: We had 32 wardens — four fulltime paid wardens and 28 who spent their days iu offices, etc., and their spare time as voluntary wardens. Of these 32 at least 20 were women and our duties were iu no way different from those of the men. We were all wardens, whatever our sex.

It may be said that there is' not the need yet for large numbers of wardens in New Zealand, but neither was there iu England three years and a half ago, when thousands of men and women gained their warden's certificates. Let us not be unprepared. The occasion may never arise—we all hope it won’t. But should it do so let every man and woman be trained to meet any emergency. There are lots of jobs we women can do, if allowed. The women of England have set an example.—l am, etc., AIR RAID WALDEN. Lower Hutt. January 31.