OUR GIRLS AMID HUNS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2612, 6 November 1915, Page 10

OUR GIRLS AMID HUNS

SOLDIER SPIES OF BRUSSELS COMFORT FROM THE AIR. Seventeen English girls came homo from German-ridden Brussels at tho end of last September. They travelled via Rotterdam and in the steamship Batavior V., which discharged its passengers at Tilbury in • pouring rain at 6 p.m.

There were 110 relatives or friends to meet them, comments the correspondent of the "Daily Mail," because tlie.v had-been prevented from writing liome, but officials of the charitable agency which deals with these cases made up tho ohurlish weather ami the empty pier. When I gavo them an English welcome, 0110 said, "Ah, it is so good to hear that."

They had been governesses in Belgian families. No obstacle had been placed in tho way of their returning. They brought vivid stories of presentday life in Brussels. There was great oxcitement in that oity, they said, at lunch timo Inst Sunday, when an Allied airman flow over and dropped small flags of the national colours and comforting pamphlets. All tho girls wcro eager to tell tho dotails of this incident. Ail Oldham girl gavo a human narrative.

"We heard the noise of the aeroplane and a lot of gunfiring and shouting," sho said. "We rushed from the table and saw an neroplatie overhead and flags falling into tho street. The flags were Befgian, and tho poor Bolgians wero struggling for pieces of them and for bullets from tlio shells. Gorman soldiers wcro trying to snatch tho souvenirs. Prayers for the Airman.. ' "Tho airman was being fired at from tho l'alais do Justice, tho barracks, and, it seemed from all parts of tho city. Oil, how they did fire at liiml One shell seemed to explode only about a yard away, and tlio people prayed aloud. 'Please do not let it come down. "Tho soldiers tried to drive the people into their houses; but they could not clear tlio streets. Tho airman also dropped papers which said- that tlio Russians had had a' victory, aud urged the people to 'Havo courago, we are coming 111 a few weeks to deliver you.' The crowd shouted and waved tlicir handkerchiefs. In tho Avenue Louise I saw a little child pick up one of tlio papers. Some German soldiers behaved so roughly when they snatched it away that tho mite cried bitterly.

"We heard afterwards that the airman had dropped some bombs 011 Charleroi, which explained the anger of tho Germans at the joy his coming caused."

This girl from Oldham (who had been for four years and a half a governess in Brussels) further stated:

"The English nurses and governesses have a favourite afternoon meetingplace in tho Cihquau'tenaire Park, and there a couple o£ innocent-looking German . civilians used to come to us with ail English book, and, 011 the prctenco that they were learning our language, ask us what certain words meant. They mixed with us iii that way several times before wo discovered their game by seeing one of them in uniform." Rebuilding Louvain. ■A ■ recent. issue of tho. - Germanmanaged newspaper' in Brussels stated that tho Gorman, Navy had got round to Bristol and had reached home again safely iii spite of an immensely superior fleet which had appeared. Accompanying the party was a Belgian girl employed in a Brussels lace depot, whose constant journeys collecting lace from the home-workers . had taken her to Mons, Louvain, Msilmes, Antwerp, and other places. Mons and the country round she said is full of troops now. _ Louvain is being built again by Belgian workmen, assisted by a largo number of , Germans, tho inhabitants living meanwhile in huts. "Rebuilding is going on everywhere," sho said, "and the Germans seem to try hard to got on good terms with our people." "I crossed tho frontier," said this girl, "at a certain place from which many deserters have reached safety."