WOMAN’S TOUR ABROAD

Southland Times, Issue 24273, 2 November 1940, Page 14

WOMAN’S TOUR ABROAD

WAR WORK IN LONDON Mrs A. W. Betteridge, who left New Zealand with a party of 40, has returned to Invercargill after an extensive tour of England, Scotland, France, Belgium and Switzerland. “They were all wonderful countries, ’ Mrs Betteridge told The Southland Times yesterday. “Germany was not included in our itinerary, although at one point by the mere crossing of a bridge we would have crossed the frontier. I was living in Bristol when war was declared,” she said, “and for the first six months the people rather chafed at the inaction, although later, when the air raids started, the loss of time was the chief regret.” Mrs Betteridge saw a great deal of the New Zealand troops in England and it was while out walking with several soldiers that she saw Princess Elizabeth enter the gates of Buckingham Palace. She also saw Mr Churchill alight from his car in London, and at a reception to New Zealand troops at the Adelphi Theatre, which almost adjoins New Zealand House, she heard Mr Anthony Eden speak. When it was known that Lord and Lady Bledisloe had entered the theatre, the welcome given by the soldiers became tumultuous. She paid a tribute to Mr and Mrs Jordan, who were also present at the reception. They were not mere figureheads, she said, but they performed their duties with understanding and enthusiasm. RATIONING NO HARDSHIP On no account must rationing be associated with suffering, stated Mrs Betteridge. Until three months ago. when she left England for New Zealand, an allowance of a quarter of a pound each of butter, sugar and bacon was made for each person, but the margarine was found to be so palatable that many people chose to forgo their portion of butter, which was 1/7 a pound, and buy margarine at ninepence. So great was the demand for margarine that it in turn was rationed. In many cases butter was used for cooking and the substitute for the table. She displayed a small lined leather bag with “sugar” marked in attractive gold letters, in which each guest would take her share of the precious commodity out to tea, in order to spare her hostess any embarrassment. In London Mrs Betteridge heard many air-raid warnings and also heard bombs dropping. She was one of a party of New Zealand women who met regularly at the home of Lord Bledisloe in Sloane street to sew hospital garments for our soldiers. Lady Bledisloe was a frequent visitor and was a popular figure with the other workers. RETURN ON POLISH TROOPSHIP One of the most interesting features of the return to New Zealand was the fact that the trip was made on a Polish troopship. All the officers and crew, from captain to cookhouse boy, were Poles, who for the most part could speak broken English. The journey was made by a very circuitous route in which many countries were visited and in all took 11 weeks. Nearly 600 English children, who were being evacuated to Sydney and other Australian ports, were on board. The Poles, being separated from their own families, showed great affection and regard for the little evacuees, who were also parted from their own people. It reflected credit on their escorts that the children’s regret at parting from them I when their destination had been j reached, was almost equal to that of | leaving their own parents. Not one wet 1 day was experienced on the outward I trip, and not one good-sized wave was j seen. .1

Mrs Betteridge had no wish to leave England, but her family desired her presence in New Zealand. This was the first occasion on which she had visited England since she left Lancashire as a child of six.