BRITAIN IN CRISIS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20076, 24 October 1939, Page 6

BRITAIN IN CRISIS

! COURAGE-ORGANISATION WOMEN WORK WITH MEN N.Z. TOURIST IMPRESSED (For Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. “The English people are wonder- | ful,” said Mr. F. IT. Gifford, Auckland | manager of the New Zealand Shipping j Company. Limited, who has returned | from a tour of Britain and the Coni tinent. In London when war was declared, i Mr. Gifford was ’ astonished at the I courage, spirit and organisation in the | crisis. The absence of panic demon--1 strafed the wonderful training ol the British population for defence. “Every person appeared to know his place, obeying instructions immediately—a graphic example of mob : psychology,” ho said. He was living in a large block of flats which housed 800 people. Immediately war was declared, the occupants volunteered to assist in the work of protecting the building with sandbags and converting portion . of the space into a temporary hospital. Men and women assisted in building a wall of sandbags 20ft high which took nearly a week. | "I cannot speak too highly of some iof the women who took part in this ! task, men filling the bags and women ' tying them. Some worked until their hands were chafed and severely cut with the strings. In all parts of London women were toiling this way." Ire added.