WOMEN'S WAR WORK.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14339, 2 July 1917, Page 4

WOMEN'S WAR WORK.

I^,„ - y ■■_ \ern-r--"Of course," said Lady Vfc V ars L^aL* a New Zealand Times representative '^W ''•'" only expected- to be m England S/fevrL* weeks when we landed, so the fj^tj'two or three were Very strenuous,'- as 'we' ' wanted to do so many things. Our first Sunday was spent at Brockenlnirst Hos-' pital visiting the New. Zealanders, and the next at Walton. We -visited , all the hospitals m turn, including Chelsea,, where there are only a few New Zealanders, aiul wliich i's a very large and — wonderful place." Walton," said Lady Ward. is. very beautiful, arid; here she met Miss Thurston, of Christchurch. The latter spoke of the voluntary aids and how well they had worked. At first sh6 was afraid they Avould not be a success, as being voluntary they might bo "' inclined to "stay away at times, but sincd they have! had to sign all fear of that '•' ' was over, and they live done magnificent work. Miss Doughty (Wellington's car- T nival queen) is at Walton. Miss Wil- ;' son, the present matrPh- there, is much liked/both by her^patiehts and her staff. \ London is a different city to when Lady Ward visited it on previous occasions. The -streets are quite dark on winter / nights, . but -all jthe theatres are open, and people entertain a gQod deal, for ' there are always 'men from the front,, who want to be entertained and amused *•'' during their short leave, . so places of amusement and restaurants are always full. One of-: the resnlts' of the^war seems to be that there are very ■ few taxis to be had m London, and as matty people -'have given up /their private cars for, war work, people have, to go 'home . from theatres, etc. , chiefly -. b^n the underground railways, winch' /: are always thronged. One: cons'equpnce is that evpning, dress, is very little*, worn at the theatres nowadays; when; /one 1 ' has to go '"."■ home" by undergrQurid or.'bufe; on a cold winter's night it is i necessary to dress accordingly. .*, of- women's woVk in ' England 'Lady Ward said it was really wonderful what they were doing. They were cm nearly all the 'buses and' trams, and looked very dapper m their nPat uniforms, and ■ what is more are giving genuine satisfaction. At all sorts of unaccustomed work they are to be seen. "You see them m dungarees going d'owrv a street with their ladders, cleaning the windows, and get so used to the sight that you think nothing of it;" said Lady" Ward. The visitors had: an opportunity of seeing something of; the work m munition factories, and Lady Ward was interested to find a giri who bad been / housemaid for some years at the Royal 1 > Oak' hotel (Wellington! m one of those visited. She went to England with some friends, and is now m charge of a roomy* ■' of girls at one of the factories, so that (New Zealand is represented even m this branch of war work. A /good deal of Red Cross work was seen by 'the' visitors to England and everywhere they heard expressions of approval of the goods sent from New Zealand. They, were of \ such gocd material and '•■ always well / ' '' made. • liv the early stages of the war. [depot workers at Home, as here, had to [contend with much bad sewing and ill- 1 made garments, but the work was now systematised and running m excellent order. , ,