WAR WELFARE WORK

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 202, 24 May 1944, Page 8

WAR WELFARE WORK

N.Z. Women In Battle Zones

Miss Jessie'Wilkie, who has been doing welfare work with Miss ? ean . Begg for the Young Women’s Christian Association in many parts of the Middle East, and is now living in Christchurch, told if many interesting experiences tn the war zones when speaking to re P rebe " t ® t^ n L ® of women's organizations at a meetin, held by the president and board M directors of the Christchurch Y.W.C.A. Miss Wilkie was on the staff of Mission College, Colombo, Ceylon, with Miss Opic, formerly of Christchurch, before she went to the Middle East. . - When she first went to Egypt, Mis» Begg had been told that there, was no ueed for the association's welfare Hum •as there would be very few women serving in that country. But Miss Begg soon found, said Miss Wilkie, that the nursing sisters welcomed the idea of a plate in which to spend their leisure time, where they could have a bath and a rest, do some ironing, or drink a cup of tea. The women were allowed to take men friends of any rank to the hut, where they danced, had meals, or enjoyed concerts and community sings. This meant a great deal to British nursing sisters, who were not allowed to go out with any men but commissioned officers, vet could meet friends of other rauks at the Y.W.C.A. hut. • "It was n wonderful study to walch their faces when we told the nurses they could have lheir breakfast in bed,’ said Miss Wilkie, "and this was a service we brought in for these tired women when we got residential huts.” , “We made great use of'flowers in the hut,” she said, “though often they had to eome many miles on ice to reach us.