WOMEN AND THE WAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 307, 19 May 1941, Page 5

WOMEN AND THE WAR

WIDE ACTIVITIES IN AUSTRALIA

Australia has, as yet, no women "Postmen." The buses are not yet "manned" by female conductors and army transports are not yet driven in Australia by women—but Australia has a vast army of women giving all their interest and practically all their time to war work.

In most munitions factories there are women operatives, and in the laboratories, much of the scientific work is done by women and girls but they are a handful compared with the thousands in every State who voluntarily devote their time to the welfare of the men in the fighting forces, or .to preparing themselves for active service work should they be needed. In fact, practically every woman in Australia is actively engaged in war work I in some form. j At the outbreak of war each State of the Commonwealth; formed a vol- j untary national register. Hundreds of thousands of women gavei their names and qualifications, indicating their willingness! to serve wherevei they could best be used. All of thos~ who registered are now engaged on. war work. The Commonwealth Government I employs many women in the small! arms ammunition factories' ami explosives factories. In thei munitions laboratory where guages from factories all over Australia are tested and checked, the Avork is almost entirely done by young Avomen university graduates, or specialists in mathematics. They Avork to thousandths of an inch, and error could mean a Avaste of thousands, of shells, or an. inaccuracy in hundreds of guns Most Australian Avomen are actively Avorking, for the Australian Comforts Fund or the Australian Red Cross. One organisation looks after the mem of the Services Avhen they are Avell and the other Avhen they are wounded or sick,, The Australian Comforts Fund which has the support of every woman in Australia Avith a relat'rve in the forces, provides a free isstae of extra clothing and comforts for every man when he embarks for I service abroad, and has established I in almost every Australian . camp, recreation facilities for Avhich no charge is made., Leave dubs are maintained Avhere Australians are serving abroad. " The Red Gross is important both at home and abroad. With the A.I.F. are Red Cross units staffed by hospital visitors Avho Avrite letters for the men, and attend to their heeds. With the Red Cross at home, are hundreds of transport drivers Avho are reiady to diive convalescent soldiers into the country, or run a oneton truck around the city collecting the Avaste products from Avhich the Red Cross derives considerable revenue. Before being, permitted to drive in the Red Cross uniform, every woman must earn a first-aid certificate, and do.a 12 Aveeks,' course of lectures and practical instruction on automobile maintenance. In Australia' the women gf the Red Cross conduct correspondence bureaux for tracing soldiers, sailor;: and airmen . The Prisoners of War ] Service staffed by women volunteers ensures that Australians taken prisoner exchange letters Avith their relatives and receive regular parcels, of comforts and clothing. The blood transfusion service for succouring the AA'ounded, and maintained by the Red Cross has on its, register of blood donors,, thousands of Australian Avomen. In every Australian camp are squads of Avomen mostly enrolled through unit Avelfare oragnisations, Avho sew buttons and tears, press uniforms, and. is l necessary,, make alterations, Avhen soldiers need them. Women with menfolk in the Royal Australian Air Force have established an R.A.A.F. Women's Welfare Bureau. In charge of it, is Miss Sibyl Burnett, daughter of the Chief of the Australian Air Staff. At the bureau wives and mothers of airmen are provided Avith all kinds of help. Transport is provided for their children,, arrangements are made for their homes to be looked after if they need to go into hospital, clothing is. given to those who need it and all sorts of advice about legal, educational and other matters is given to the women A\ r ho need help in the absence on active service of their menfolk. Similar organisations are conducted for relatives of sailors and soldiers. (Continued next column)

In every capital city hostels are . maintained for the services.. Men are given good meals and accommodation when on leave, if they are without friends, at a minimum charge. This is possible because women staff the hostels with wages. Military hosoitals and convalescent homes are all staffed by volunteers, who do domestic and other work without wages and arrange hospitality for men able to go on leave. . " A number of organisations, have (seen formed to train women for active service work. A Women's . Air Training Corps with several thousand members gives instruction, in the rudiments of aircraft maintenance, signalling, drill and transport. A number of women have recently been recruited into the R.A.A.F, as teleprinter operators and signalling assistants. . The Women's Australian National Services (Wans), headed by Lady Wakehurst, wife of the\ Governor of New South Wales, give instruction to thousands of girls in A.R.P. work, first aid. drill signalling and similar subjects. Other tions are training girls in despatch , riding., by both horse and motbr cycle. The Women's Auxiliary Training: . League is training girls to take the place of men on- the land. In Melbourne 10 tractors are In regular use for this purpose. . In Sydney a group of masseuses, meets regularly to make plaster casts for broken limbs. These wo» men volunteered to supplement* the work of the army nurses and mas* reuses. . One roganisation _of , young, women,, calling themselves "Militors , * staffs the Melbourne , A.R.P. con* trol rooms. In addition to instruction in communications, . first aid, I drill and ambulance work, every j girl in the "Militors" learns to handle a rifle, _'. . y The women of Australia are knit- , ting,, sewing, collecting and I ing as hard as they know in their . contribution to the nation's war ef--forts. They know their'work valuable to the men and to the nation, and they realise that in it they derive the same sense of com* radeship by working on a commons, ca use as their menfolk derive lryfightrng together , for a common end* .