ENGLAND IN WAR TIME

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 15 October 1915, Page 2

ENGLAND IN WAR TIME

WHAT THE WOMEN ARE DOING. The following are interesting extracts from a letter received in Nelson from a Ijondon friend : August l3th<—YVe have had another air-raid; This time the' Zeppelin was hitj and eventually was quite destroyed, but we get no news in the papers about it. I know "where the bombs were dropped; but it is a secret. Colonel McNdcholl, of the 6fch Australian Imperial Force, who was severely wounded at the Dardanelles, and 'is in the 3rd X«.G. Hospital, was specially honoured by the King. (This hospital was the Patriotic School for Girls, soldiers' and, sailors' daughters, and. has ibeautifuli Jarge grounds). The King sent the Duke" of Teck with the D.S.O. medal, who "was accompanied by Lord Kitchener's Secretary, and the message to the Colonel was that he would have come himself, only he was detained' at a Council meeting.

WOMEN'S WAR WORK has been, delivering the. register papers, and it is very hot weather, ancf when they were in Tather a low locality a woman said to them, "You must be very hot and tired, and yau can't get a drink before 11.30." The time'is limitedin the publichouses because of so many women drinking too much, and so early in the day—arid others ; who do voluntary war-work agree that they could write a :book of their experiences. August 20th. —You will be thinking of ua now, so upset with ifche Zeppelins ; I hear all sorts of things, • but papers give us little or no information, we can ■ only hear by letters from friends. We are told to keep the. ihose on taps, and have imckets of sand, upstairs m case they are needed. —is now in the Royal Nayal Air Service, and is one of the officers. They have a very strenuous life. The men. in this are very mixed, some own two motor-cars, and some thousands a year doing very menial' work and waiting on the- officers. It is beautiful to see how each is doing his bit and his best. They may leave for the Dardanelles soon. lam going to see the New Zealand Hospital at Walton-on - Thames soon. Queen Alexandra was at the" 3rd L.G. Hospital the otter day, and an Anistralian soldier gave her a satin cushion he had worked while in bed . She carried it under her arm, and promised to send him a letter and her portrait. To-day I saw. some waggonettes going there to take the invalids out for a drive, some people send their cars to take the soldiers for drives; we often see such young men limping along, and it is sad' to see them. We have had such a lot of rain, but now it's; very fine and -warm. I heard that in one place where there was a raid, a doctor was performing an operation for tracheotomy at night, and all lights were put out turned off at the gas, or electric works. The doctor had told the nurses to have lamps ready in case of a raid, so the operation was finished in safely. We have candles and night lights ready. The Zeppelins are so high up, and if it is misty its is harder to see them." People are advised to stay in their houses, or they might be killed by our own guns. A friend of 's is cook fora week at different times. Yesterday she had 22 :bunnies to skin and codk, and 531bs of potatoes are cooked daily, and ever so many quarts of milk for sauces, etc. She returns Thome dreadfully tired. War work ■ again. Meat is dear, wing rib of .beef, 71bs 2oz, 9s 6d; lib 13oz 'beef steak, 3s; coal 32s and more a ton; plums,, lb, hut sugar is 3£d and: 4d ■■■ a lb. - ; In. the | R.N.V.R. Sir Leo Chiozza-Money, M.P., has been promoted lieutenant, I see -by the papers to-day. That is the company is in.

August 27th.-—At the 3rd. General Hospital to-day I was speaking to some of the Australians, hub .they "did not think much of England, for they had' not seen the sun since they , had been here." One man, who comes. from Victoria, said Queen Alexandria, shook Jiands with him, -when • she; cani© to the hospital lately . He was in hed at the time . This hospital stands on beautiful grounds, and) is. quite near to us— I send papers there to the:soldiers. All the papers speak in high, .praise of. the New Zealanders and Australians. I feel as proud of them as you. '"■■■';.; is still busy ait the Naibnal Register work.; it is so dnteresting .'to' .hear what -girls we ikriow are doing in voluntary "jv'ir work. ; ohe goes to the London General Hospital. She was busy yesterday doing nothing but sending telegrams—l suppose sending-.to the friends of -the soners or war -who have just come, men are given dyer in. exchange iby. Germany, no good for war, or,. most likely, anything else, poor fellows. Three . of them are iblin'd. The ladies here'work for their particular battalions for comforts for the men. They meet and-work, and are going to" have an 'American tea: Yon. 'give a shilling article, and buy a shilling article, and they provide tea and music.