PLIGHT OF BRITISH PEOPLE

Chronicle (Levin), 1 April 1947, Page 2

PLIGHT OF BRITISH PEOPLE

LETTERS TELL OF HARDSHIPS Sister E. M. Lewis, writing by air mail from London cm March 19, says it is hard to describe the time the English people have been experiencing during the past few weeks with the blizzards and at •uhe time of writing the start of the floods. On one occasion they had had to go by bus through four feet of water, getting stuck twice. The horses simply floundered and at times could hardly keep a footrng. It was pitiful to see the waste. The gale, and gale it was. had carried away many of the tiles from her house, and the rain poured into the rooms, which were made worse by the bursting of a tank. "And now," Sister Lewis adds, "no coal, while 'eats' are at a. minimum." Had' it not been for parcels from New Zealand she says she would hardly have known what to do. Food was scarce and one got so hungry. Sbme had been very thankful for soup and dripping toast. Some of her friends had been very short of food. Sister Lewis said that she had to wade through two feet of snow to attend to patients. Sister Lewis was for some years district nurse in Otaki, and no doubt will be well remembered by many.

. Nurse Groves, an invalid from the first world war, writes on March 20 to say the snow had at last gone, but that gales and rain were now playing their part. It was a case of floods everywhere, and there seemed to he no end to it. Some days were lovely and the sun was doubly welcome, but it was unfortunately of short duration. Sowing of seed had been delayed, and it was in fact heartbreaking. To brighten the outlook some primroses and roses were in bloom, while bulbs would soon be throuc'h 'the ground. At this time last year gardens were a blaze of colour, but all were wondering if there would be blooms by Easter.