WOMEN OF THE FORTRESS

Evening Star, Issue 23684, 18 September 1940, Page 11

WOMEN OF THE FORTRESS

PREPARING FOR EMERGENCY IN SINGAPORE The Union Jack flies over Fort Canning, which crowns a rocky hill dominating the city of Singapore. Beneath the shadow of the flag many races, colours, and creeds stand united in one purpose— the cause of the British Empire (writes Hazel Ueale, in the ‘ Sydney Alorning Herald ’). Living in Singapore now are hundreds of women, wives, and daughters of Army, naval, and Air Force officers, many of them born in the traditions of the services and associated with soldiering all their lives. Less familiar with the bugle call are those others, wives _ of commercial and professional men in Singapore, who have by now also become used to their menfolk in the uniform of the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force. There are besides many Asiatic women, no less capable than their European sisters, and whose response to the occasion has been unselfishly splendid.

Welfare of the womenfolk in the various barracks—Tanglin, Alexandria, Tyersall, and Changi—scattered over the land is very much the concern of the wife of the general. Airs Bond, who lives at Flagstaff House, on Bukit Tiniah road. The wife of the colonel of each regiment and her officers’ wives are untiring in their efforts to see that the soldier’s wife is happy and contented in this outpost so far from the home of her childhood. Alarried quar-

ters are largely occupied by wives and sergeants and n.c.o.s, as the private soldier is seldom married—ho just can’t afford it I He lives in one of the rectangular piles of masonry surrounding the barrack square. The new buildings I in Singapore are cool, airy, and convenient, and the soldier’s wife is often able to afford a Chinese amah’s domestic help as one of the compensations for service abroad. Rear-Admiral T. B. Drew and Mrs Drew live in the heart of Tanglin at Navy House, a large two-storied bungalow with wide porches set in a bright garden. The admiral and his wife are “ at home ” to the Navy every Sunday morning. If you go along there at noon you will find the blue and white uniformed butler and his No. 2 hoy as offsider busied over the well-filled “ pahit trolly.” There is an excellent brand of “ pirn cup,” together with “ makan ketchi," small savouries in which the Eastern housewife seems to excel. As it is wartime, all the men are in uniform—tropical whites—and the women in summer sports frocks, and all are hatless. The civilian feels as much at ease amongst these pleasant surroundings large. flower-filled, chintz-hung rooms with touches of “ home ” —as do those of the senior service. At Mrs Drew’s request Mrs Leu Geddes, an Australian, gave a repetition of ‘ The Gaieties of 1940.’ recently organised for the funds of the Children’s Aid Society, in aid of the naval entertainment fund. Malaya Patriotic Fund. On the outbreak of war Lady Thomas, wife of the Governor of the Straits Settlements, called a meeting of representative women with the idea of collecting funds for the purchase 'of wool •ind materials for the manufacture of comforts for men at the front. The original committee included Lady i Small, a Western Australian and the wife of the then Colonial Secretary, and other well-known women, whilst Mrs H. G. Baxter, also partly Australian, tile wife of one of the bankers of the city, was appointed honorary secretary. There are now nine separate working parties of European, Chinese, Malay, Indian, Arab, and Eurasian women, besides many up-country committees. Lady Thomas herself is an expert knitter, and the first sweater was tried on by the Governor. The pyjama patterns were cut from the Governor’s pyjamas. In all more than 90 packing eases of comforts have been despatched, and a group of women meet every Thursday at Government House to pack goods. Way back in the days of the Munich crisis a movement was started in Singapore for the enrolment of women for national service. Whether women accustomed to resting several hours of every waking day would be able to stand the strain of eight hours in the confines of a hot office was tile question of the moment. A manpower bureau was opened, ami many women

with any claim to usefulness offered thoir services. With the advent of war some of those who spoke foreign languages and some others were called up lor work in the censor’s bureau for cables and letters. Men and women in these departments work shifts censoring mail in no less than 41 languages, including 22 European languages. Of the balance, the Eastern languages include 15 Indian, such as Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Canarese, Urdu, Hindustani, Hindi, Gumerkhji, Punjabi, Persian, Gujcrati, Sindhi. Bengali, Orissa, and Sylehote. Such is Malaya’s polyglot population, with Chinese, Japanese, Javanese, Soudanese, Madurese, Malay, and Philippine Islands languages.

Sworn to Secrecy. These censors are sworn to secrecy, both for the duration and for all .time after the war. It is readily understood that disclosures of personal information, however harmless, might lead to very serious repercussions in such a comparatively small European population. Many women who include stenography and typewriting among their accomplishments have been employed in departments such as the Bureau of Information and Control specially set up for the duration of the war. Others are employed as confidential secretaries and on cypher work in the various military, naval, and Air Force headquarters, where the work had hitherto been done exclusively by men.

Last, but by no means least, come the all-important nursing services of Singapore, whose members, busy as they

are in the big general hospitals of the city, would be much more so in the event of war in Malaya. All tho nursing in Singapore is done by European sisters trained in Empire hospitals, assisted by Chinese nurses and Chinese wardsmen.

A particular example of the wonderful way in which different nationalities m Singapore are working together for patriotic interests is that of St. John Ambulance Brigade. Over 400 women are enrolled in some 16 nursing divisions, as well as 1,200 men in the ambulance divisions. It is most heartening to attend black-out practices and accompany the ladv district superintendent and district officer on their inspection rounds of the first aid posts. Here, working unobtrusively, is an organisation of women whose services will be required desperately in the event of air raids. For Blood Transfusion. A special service is being organised in Singapore for blood transfusion in an emergency. The department of physiology in the King Edward College of Medicine has been entrusted with preparation of stored blood for transfusion in the hospitals. This department’s

permanent staff will provide the hospitals with their normal requirements. It was recently considered advisable to expand this service to meet the needs of an emergency, and it was found that the stall could very suitably bo provided by the nursing divisions of the St. John Ambulance Brigade. Twenty-four members of nursing divisions are in training under the direction of the principal of the college.

Particularly smart in their grey and whito striped ceremonial uniform worn on parade are the members of the nursing divisions. Under the efficient and kindly control of the lady district superintendent. Mrs 11. S. Nelson, and the district officer, Mrs T. Holyoak, these women and girls of all nationalities and from all walks in life may yet prove a very important factor in the life of those in the fortress of Singapore.