BRAVE WOMEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23880, 3 February 1941, Page 7

BRAVE WOMEN

VOLUNTARY AIDS COURAGEOUS FIRE-FIGHTER LAND ARMY'S FINE RFXORD !l By Telegraph Press Association— Copyright (Received February J, 5.5 p.m.) 1 British Wireless LONDON, Jan. 31 One of 23 recipients of medals for bravery, the awards of which are announced, is Miss White, of the Voluntary Aid Detachment. During an air raid Miss White, with other V.A.D.'s, was on duty at a first aid post in a village hall. While she was there a high-explosive bomb 0 was dropped on the district nurse's cottage, next door, completely demolishing it. The V.A.D.'s immediately went to e the nurse's help. They found her in a crater, which had been the cottage, 1 lying head downward and alive, but !j badly injured. t Devotion to Duty "With great difficulty, on account of f the depth of the crater and the loose f rubble, they lifted the nurse out on to a stretcher and carried her to the village hall. While two other V.A.D.'s were doing all they could for the nurse, e Miss White went to the further end of . the hall to get water, i, While she was there a bomb fell v directly on the hall, where the in- , jured nurse lay, killing her, fatally . injuring one of the V.A.D.'s and e severely injuring the other. Without - thought of herself, Miss White v scrambled over the debris and found the ;. two injured members of the party •- covered with fallen rubble. t She immediately gave first aid, and ;1 with the help of a tourniquet made v from her skirt stopped the bleeding, t All the dressings and equipment had - been buried by the explosion, but she g got one of the injured V.A.D.'s on to a stretcher and eventually into an :1 ambulance, with tin assistance of the n police. I Dangerous Lorry Load 1 Miss White then went down the road to help other casualties, and visited ail the cottages in the village to find out whether anyone else was injured. All the time aeroplanes were flying overhead and bombs were dropping. ' A medal has also been awarded to M iss M. Tanner, of the Women's Auxiliary Fire Service. In her case it 3 is stated: Six serious fires were in progress, and for three hours Miss Tanner drove a 30cwt. lorry loaded with 150 gallons of petrol it) cans Irom I fire to fire, replenishing petrol supplies for the fire-fighting pumps. In spite of the intense bombing, she showed j remarkable coolness and courage throughout. An announcement of the award of J the M.B.E. to Miss Maigaret Smith, organising secretary of the Women's [ Land Army, is accompanied by tho fol- ' lowing statement: "The splendid record of the land army girls, working in the dangerous areas in East Kent, is largely due to her untiring efforts on their behalf." Throughout the weeks when intensive bombing resulted in many houses ! being damaged or destroyed close to ■ her office .Miss Smith showed "coolness, ; courage, devotion to duty and cheer- . fulness in all circumstances." FURTHER PRECAUTIONS BOMB-FIGHTING SERVICES LONDON, Feb. 1 Birmingham is hastening its plans to meet devastating raids and has GO,OOO people enrolled for fire bomb fighting, including '27.000 in supplementary fire ; parties, 10,000 air raid precautions wardens and 5000 watchers in city premises. The Homo Guard is arranging to picket areas where the danger is greatest. A hundred rest centres, equipped with bedding and clothing, are being established for the homeless. The air raid precautions committee is planning to provide; at least 10,000 with a hot meal in the event of an emergency, and is also making plans for the removal and storage of furniture from bombed homes. At a cost of £100,260 annually the London County Council is organising a salvage corps of 600 men to rescue furniture and other tnovr.ble property during air-raid fires. The nucleus will be the organisation maintained by the fire insurance companies in peace time.