Orange Blossoms and Bells

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 3, 4 January 1940, Page 5

Orange Blossoms and Bells

QUEEN VISITS FACTORY LONDON, November S. The Queen, accompanied by the Minister of Supply and the Director-Gen-eral of Equipment and Stores, made a tour of three clothing factories in the London area, where sever.** thousands of workers are now concentrated on Army battle dress, greatcoats, and other military clothing. Her Majesty learned many interesting things, such as „,the fact that as many Army greatcoats as under normal conditions of peace would represent a 25 years supply were ordered for delivery in six months. The human touch is not lacking, for in accordance with an old custom of this factory, wffiich in peacetime makes civilian clothing, a bride-to-be (one of the hands) was wearing a wreath of orange blossom, and there were silver wedding bells hanging from her chair. Other girls at her table wore white wreaths over their hair, and streamers of white and silver paper festooned the working table. Miss Ethel Nicholls looked up from her machine as she was making linings for sailors’ uniforms, to find the Queen standing by her. Miss Nicolls told the Queen that she was to be married to a mechanic in an aircraft factory. The Queen admired a display of wedding presents set out on a table, and wished 4ie recipient all happiness and good luck. Singing As They Work. Wearing a dress, coat, and pillbox hat of dove grey, the Queen arrived at the first factory to find 40 girls in one room singing “Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfied Lino” as they were machining. They ceased when they realised the Queen was there, and as she moved out of the room there were three cheers. In other departments of the factory Her Majesty came across more girls singing —several times the song was “Run, Adolph, Run”—and time after time she was cheered. One woman told the Queen that sho had made Army clothing for three wars in her 40 years of factory life. Between wars she had made dress uniform?. The designer of a kilt for the Princess Elizabeth was among the officials working in the factory, and the Queen remembored the occasion of its making some years ago in a miniature Royal Stuart tartan.