THE HOUSEWIVES OF BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 24007, 4 October 1941, Page 14

THE HOUSEWIVES OF BRITAIN

AVo have just had our third birthday (Lady Beading writes in ‘ London Calling’). AA’omen’s Voluntary Services were started in Juno 1938. when wo thought war was not inevitable and hoped that by encouraging women to take an interest in A.B.P. wo might avoid this evil thing. AVe have nearly a million members; that means that more than one out of every 14 adult women in Britain is giving up her time, voluntarily, to' do those things for which she is most suited on a national instead of a domestic scale. If you wore to take a cross section of the members of the AA’.Y.S. you would find them drawn from all levels of the community. AVe have 2,000 centres in every part of the country, and onr centre organisers have been chosen not because of their social position, but because they are natural leaders who, by reason of tlieir ability, will be capable of dealing with tho only too eager offers of help of local women and guiding them into the best channels. Don’t forget that the members of the AA’.V.S. are the housewives of Britain. The majority of them could not shelve their domestic responsibilities by joining other women’s services that take them awav from their home, and this is one of the reasons I would like to pay a tribute to tho courage and calm of our 950,000 members. These women, living in their own homes, bearing greater responsibilities than ever before, coping with the difficulties of food, and the blackout,_ and sharing equally the dangers of air raids, have a strong sense of duty. They join their shift, whether it be at a canteen, in a rest centre where bombed-out families sheek shelter and comfort, in a clothing depot, or an information bureau, or at their offices where the necessary but unromantic routine of _work has to be carried on. AVhen tlieir homes are destroyed they don’t make that an excuse to stay away from work; they know the value of continuity and that they must not fail those who are expecting them at their posts. AV.ALS. have been built, “ not by the of the one but by the faithful‘ucss of the many.” AVomen undertake this work realising that it must be carried through. Their home ties when once delegated must be ignored, their own feelings cannot be consulted. AA T e all realise that our contribution is towards safeguarding the world of freedom for future generations. Alen have a standard to live up_ to, inherited through the ages, rich in tradition, but women have never before been called on to face what they arc facing today, and they are being so wonderful.