RETURNED SOLDIERS

Southland Times, Issue 19859, 3 May 1926, Page 5

RETURNED SOLDIERS

WOMAN MEMBER OF ASSOCIATION. A RARE HONOUR. (Special to the Times.) Auckland, April 30. The association of women with the affairs * of the Returned Soldiers’ Association by I virtue of their war service is very rare. None of the nurses who were engaged in the war service were made honorary members but the number of women in New Zealand who are active members and have the privilege of paying annual subscriptions could probably be counted on the fingers of one hand. One of the honoured few is Mrs fc. G. Simeon, who w T as present at the annual meeting of the Auckland branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. A special welcome was extended to her by the president, Mr S. Austin Carr, who referred to the unique position Mrs Simeon held in relation to the association. Mrs Simeon during the earlier part of the war served in the nursing service from 1915 to September, 1916. She was connected with the No. 19 General Hospital at Alexandria, Egypt, from October, 1916, to May, 1917. She was engaged at the Military Hospital in Wales, and from May, 1917, to November, 1917, at Nos. 5 and 25 hospitals in France. Severing her connection with the nursing service, Mrs Simeon joined the Women’s Royal Air Force, being appointed quarter mistress with the equivalent rank of first lieutenant for Great Britain. Later she proceeded to Glasgow and opened an area depot there. She sat as president of the W.R.A.F. Selection Board at every centre in Scotland. Her next appointment was that of Commandant of the South-Eastern area, with headquarters in London. In. that capacity Mrs Simeon was in charge of 5000 women, and was repatriated to New Zealand in January, 1920, having completed five years distinguished war service.