UNFLINCHING COURAGE

Patea Mail, 9 May 1941, Page 4

UNFLINCHING COURAGE

WOMEN or BRITAIN LIFE IN AIR RADS “You will know by the news that wo have had nothing serious—only shrapnel—and for a fortnight now wo had not heard the sirens., ’ ’ writes a sister of Mr. Walter Scott, of Now Plymouth from Morley, near Leeds, about the beginning of February, and the letter affords further proof, if that is necessary, of the wonderful spirit of the people of England, says the Taranaki Herald. - The writer is a woman of over 70 years of age and her courage and philosophic outlook are remarkable. “I have never known worse weather than wc are having at present, ’ ’ she says. ‘‘Last, Buuday morning I iwias snowed up. A soldier who was passing came and shovelled mo out. I gave him breakfast and dinner. “It is surprising how the people are taking it —losing everything. We just have to think if it comes, well, it comes.” • She describes a visit on which she was taken to see, the result of raid bombing at some other- topviis. “It could have been ten times worse, ’ ’ she said, “but everybody just keeps going on. They have bombed a lot of big towns but so far have not done Leeds. Wo have been expecting it for a long time, but all the same I hope it does not come. HOLES IN CELLAR WALS “A lot of people go into dug-outs. I have not been into one yet. I have a friend whose husband is an air raid warden. She comes running to mo with a blanket and sometimes we go into the cellar and sometimes just get under the table when the guns are going and the shrapnel flying. “In some blocks of houses in v the cellars the people have broken holes in walls so that they can get to one another without going outside, “Don’t Avorry over us with regard to food. So far wc have nothing to grumble about. There arc some things wm can’t get, but wc can do without them. Wo are still frozen up but wo don’t mind that if the weather keeps the bombs away. “This is a testing time for all but wo believe that right wil] win in the end. All wo can do is to hope and pray and keep opr faith in God.”