A RECORD IN WAR WORK

Evening Star, Issue 17284, 24 February 1920, Page 6

A RECORD IN WAR WORK

FIELD AND ATR SERVICE.

BY A DUNEDIN WOMAN

Two visitors, ono of whom was born in Dunedin, while the other performed useful service here, kindly gave a 'Star' reporter some interesting details thiß morning. They were Mr and Mrs Simeon, husband and wife, and both hold the military title of major. Therefore the only way to distinguish them hereafter in this article is to use the prefix Mr and Mrs.

Mrs Simeon is the daughter of Mr .John .Sandlaud, who arrived in the Thomas and Henry. He died in 1887, having passed the allotted span. His death was tho result of injuries received while inspecting a sewer, in company with Messrs Hay (civil engineer) and Mirams (Towii Cleric). Tho party were washed some distance through the sewer as the result of an unforeseen thunderstorm, and the injuries received, by Mr iSandland caused his death.

Mrs Simeon began her war work in Wellington in 1814, and Mr Simeon sailed with the first draft of New Zealanders to Samoa. Mrs Simeon was in turn executive member of the Women's National Reserve and Wellington Patriotic Society, which Taised the first £IOO,OOO for wounded soldiers. She took eliargo of the large work rooms in Wellington which supplied .clothing to the hospital ship Maheno, and then joined tho British Red Cross in 1915. In England sho did canteen duty at Enfield, and m October took up service in the 19th General Alexandra Hospital in Egypt. In October, 1916, she was transferred to Bangor, North Wales, and in 1917, fi6 nt to France, where she nursed dangerous eerebro-spinal cases for four mont-lrsf For this special work she received the Queen Alexandra certificate. Transferred to a surgical hospital in Rouen, eho left the War Office in February, 1918. _ Mrs Simeon then began a most interesting period of service with the Women's Royal Air Force, the uniform of which she weare while ou furlough to-day, Sho was first appointed first class quartermistress at the Birmingham depot, where all the women recruits wero received clothed, and drilled. "What did they do.' ' our interviewer asked. " They did everything men did, except fly, aid in addition acted a-s waitresses, cooks, generals, typists, and clerks. They also did the_ hard, work-engine-fitting, welding, doping and such." They were part 01 that great lorce winch went far to relieve a million men for war service when they were bo badlv needed in France. From then on Mrs Simeon's work _ grew. She received tho rank of captain wont to Glasgow, helped to recruit thousands of women, and visited all chief Scottish towns. In March, 1919 she became major, was sent to Oxford' where she was in charge of 5,000 women at £0 stations. Mie travelled over much country by air when it was fine and bycar at other times. She was the first Aew Zealand woman passenger to fly to trance, and in September of last year she flew over the Marne in a French -Bieriot machine aa passenger. She returned to her native country - m January, Her war decorations are 1914-15 Star and Victory and allied medals. Mi- Simeon first jsaw service in Dunedin 111 IS9O in connection with the armoury exhibit in the Exhibition, of that year. In the course of his six years here he acted as instructor to Dunedin and Port Navals, and also in many of our local schools._ After service with tho Samoan Expeditionary Force he joined the Rifle Brigade and went to Egypt. Ho served with the Ist Battalion against tho Senussi in Western Egypt, was promoted to major, and proceeded to France where he saw over a year's service at such famous fronts aa Fleur Vaux, Plu"o- 6 Street, and Somme. Mr Simeon's military record is therefore long and creditable. Together Mr and lira Simeon have rendered unique and valuable war service. They leave the service both with the rank of major, and Mrs Simeon's record is 4 years 160 days and her husband's 4 years 290 days. In addition to being very interesting people, they have photographic records which vividly impress one with the great war effort, not tho least important part of which was performed by women.