"OUR LADY OF THE HUT."

Lake County Press, Issue 2696, 23 August 1917, Page 5

"OUR LADY OF THE HUT."

Her Message to New Zealand's Mothers.

A Wdman's Infinite Influence

The Records of blie'war would bo incomplete if the etory of the work of a noble band of British womsn now numbering over 20,000 from all ranks in life who have put heart and soul into a wonderful piece of friendly ministration work in the " Huts " were passed unnoticed. These women of white souls and noble lives have done a mighty service. In this unchristened t army are engaged such persons aa Princess Victoria, Lady Rodney, Lady Henry Grosvenor, Hon. Mrs Stuart Wortley, Lady Forbes-Robertson, Countess of Bessbrough, Lady Stradbrooke, Mrs Winston Churchill, Lena Ash well and Mrs (Col) Mylrea— " Our Lady of the Hut " as the New Zealand troops have lovingly named her, who tells the privilege she has enjoyed. Christian women of maturity and good sense from all positions of life —typists, teachers, sisters and mothers and wives of soldiers have done their bit. The barriers of rank an obliterated. They work side by side in the finest spirit,

serving hot cocoa or tea, washing dishes, arranging concerts, handing out stationery or selling stamps. This is the letter that Mrs Mylrea—- " Our Lady of the Hut ", the robust New Zoalanders call her—has written, to the mothers of New Zealand. Mrs Mylrea is the widow of the late Col. Mylrea who gave his life for the Empire at Ypres. Since this great sorrow befell her, she had found her solaoe and her delight in serving the New Zealanders with a devotion that is unique. Whifehearted, mature Christian women of the Mrs Mylrea type will greatly neutralize the virulenoe of the scarlet woman's virus : Dear Mothers of Brave New Zealand Lads, —I htive been asked to write a short account of the work going en day by day in the Young Men's Christian Association tint at Sling Camp, Salisbury Plain, to which F'i !!i .n>- of your dear ones find their way before ciuaoiug over to France or on. their return from that country after recovering from wounds or sickness. There is always great excitement in the minds of the helpers when we hear a reinforcement from New Zealand is expected to arrive in oauip, as for us it means much additional work of a most enjoyable kind, and the welcoming of many Btrange faces to the hut. It is a grand sight to seethe khaki line wending its way from the station through the camp to the various huts allotted to it; but one that never fails to make me think of the aching, lonely hearts left behind in New Zealand, longing for a sight of the loved faces that we are looking upon, and we, one and all, strive with all our power from the moment they enter the Y. M. C. A. to " mother " and attend to the needs of " the strangers within our gates." And their needs dare many ;so many develop colds and coughs coming from the tropical weather through which they have passed so recently on the voyage to a colder climate. Homely remedies,quinine, and camphorated oil and eucalyptus oan be at once procured. (n fact, we have remedies to remove all minor ailments. Here is a lad whose iifle has rubbed the skin off his hand ; a boy who is footsore after a long march ; another who in opening a tin has badly cut his fingers. Minor dressings to be done "on the premises" for all these cases, and many, many others, give me never-ending pleasure, as I happen to be a certificated nurse and was at a hospital in France till my health broke down. But what one so often finds the " boys " need most of all is an opportunity to "just talk " about their far-away home and of the precious mother, sister and often wife left behind. It relieves their loneliness, and is a never-ending source of interest to us at the same time. Many, many dozen of times a lad has entered the liufc looking dreary and sad, but after a cup of tea in my siiting-room and an hour's talk all about the loved ones left behind he has cheered up wonderfully and gone away brighter and happier for " letting off a little steam " on the subject of home and mother. And we are shown pictures—generally very well worn ones—of the dear home land and all the relatives left behind there. I need not describe the hut—photographs of it have found their way to all of you in New Zealand, but I wish you could sometimes see your boys in it in the evenings when the red curtains are drawn and the red lampshades all show up and the tables are lined with contented-looking lads drinking their hot tea and consuming plates of fried eggs, sausages, etc, while the piano is "going " at the far end of the hall to the accompaniment of the clicking of billiard and pingpong balls. It is a cheerful sight and would, I am sure, gladden your aching hearts. At 8.30 one of the chaplains comes in and for a brief space—three or four minutes only—prayer is offered up for the loved ones far away and thanks given for preservation during the day. There is a post office in the hut where the boys can procure writing paper, envelopes and post cards free, buy stamps, post their letters and parcels,>change their New Zealand notes and French money into the English equivalent and find ont—this is the moßt important information—the date of the next incoming and out-going " home " mail. The boys also come to this department with their broken watches and our ohaffeur takes them away to be repaired and gets them back again in the shortest possible time. We are hero to supply aB. far as we possibly can the every need of the lads in camp—to make the hut as home-like as possible and to try and make up to them, however feebly and inefficiently—in a small degree for the absence of their own loved ones. Words of mine are totally inadequate to express our opinion of the N.Z. " boys", the never-failing courtesy, kindness and consideration shown to my helpers and myself is beyond all praise. It is indeed a labour of love to work for them and we can never cease to thank the " Giver" of all good gifts " that we are allowed to do this. I cannot say how proud I am that I have been allowed to be in charge of this hut for N.Z. lads. If I, at this end, can do anything at all to help and assist the relatives of the lads here, I am honoured if they will let me do it. Having lost all I held most dear in this world in this terrible war my sole comfort is to servo in every and any way the N.Z. lads in Sling Camp and if possible their dear ones in their far-away homos.