GIRL FIRE-WATCHERS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 127, 31 May 1941, Page 12

GIRL FIRE-WATCHERS

TWO WELLINGTONIANS IN

LONDON

"FOOD OUR BIG WORRY"

How two former Wellington girls now living in London are playing their part in the battle for England is vividly described by one of them in a letter to a friend in Wellington.

After references to a gift of New Zealand butter, which she describes as making her "unbelievably rich," the New Zealand girl gives a detailed account of the food situation in London. "Life," she writes, "goes on here in the same hectic style since the war. Food has become one of our big worries. Of course, we get enough, but it's an awful job planning meals." In addition to essentials, a tiny piece of cheese is procurable each week, but biscuits, fish, fruit, chocolate, and tomatoes fat 4s 6d a pound) are in the luxury class, and cream is forbidden. "It was a sad and terrible fire," said the writer when describing the recent big incendiary raid, on London. "Now the Government has ordered all owners of businesses to keep wa^ch at night, so Mac and 'I do fire duty round this huge block. PATROLLING OUTSIDE. "We wear dark blue suits like engineers, tin hats, and carry tin whistles to summon help. Our duties are to patrol the building outside during air raids, and extinguish the bombs as they fall. As incendiaries are always followed by high explosives and (as you wil] remember) this building is between two large railway stations which are military objectives, we are looking forward to a lively time. Flats have to be watched as well as business houses. When we are at home at night and the wardens blow their whistles i we all have to help put out the fire bombs. "There is a certain type of person who doesn't care a 'damn' and will not help in the war. They have mostly cleared out of London to a safer, more pleasant area, and left everything to be done by those who are left. Still, I suppose we'll get there without their help. BUILDING STRUCK. "By the way, we had a daylight raid the other day," the letter continues, "and this building was struck —luckily the bomb struck the edge of the roof and pieces of masonry fell into the street. The raider dropped six, one after the other. Talk about lively time! What with the crash of bombs and the roar of anti-aircrdft guns, it wasn't too good. I crouched down near the counter and hoped for the best. When it was over I had a 'spot.'" IN THE SHELTERS. "You mention," writes the New Zealander, "our spending our nights in shelters. Well, we don't. Only the very poor do mostly. One simply couldn't do it, especially on the tube platforms—people actually eat and sleep there while the trains tear on. Can you imagine it, as you remember the platforms?

"Look after yourself," the letter ends, "and save your money, and we will meet in Piccadilly to celebrate our much-longed-for peace. Mac and I are very well (so far). It's amusing, isn't it, to think of us keeping firewatch in London?"