Navy Men’s “Ma”

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 62, 4 June 1927, Page 18

Navy Men’s “Ma”

Old Lady of the Ships SHE GAVEHER SON Men who have served together on any naval station in the seven seas cherish mutual memories of other days—the people they knew, familiar scenes, and the adventures they had together. There is one memory that every officer and man of the Royal Kavy who has served in the New Zea.and division since the war will .-trry with him to the end of his days—of a sweet, motherly face, in a setting of grey; of a little, old lady, with her bag of coughdrops; one of tnose splendid women who did not shrink from the sacrifice of their sons in the Empire’s cause. Mrs. Burrows, better known to our ?.?I ,0 ' S , by the more familiar title of Ma, lost her boy' when IT.M.S Jrresistible was sunk at the Dai-’dan-on?y22 WaS a P<?tty ° mcer - and Can it be wondered, then, rhat his aged mother loves to visit the ships and move in the atmosphere that once was so familiar to him, or that she has adopted every man in the division, from commodore to “bov firstclass,” as “one of her boys”? “MA’S” WEEKLY VISIT Every Sunday afternoon, with a total disregard to the weather. “Ma” travels all the way from Archhill to Devonport. with her load of ‘ruit "familv ” and sweets for l!er sailor welcomed on the raosa-decks y.ith that breezy familiarity characteristic Of sailors—a mannerism which serves to conceal the men's true feelings of affection for the mother of one who was once one of themselves. As sure as the sun rises, on Sunday morning comes “Ma” to one or other of the ships at Devonport. Yesterday it was the Veronica, next Sunday it may’ be the Philomel, and when the Laburnum returns from her five months’ cruise in the Islands, the ship’s company will find her waiting for them with her cheery smile and her inevitable and enormous bag of coughdrops. CAPTURED THE COMMODORE The men tell of an incident which has helped to endear “Ma” to all of them —how she captured the commodore. It was at a navy sports meeting in the dockyard at Devonport Mrs. Burrows was there—and, of course, her bag of coughdrop “ammunition,” which was shared by competitors and spectators alike. Suddenly her ey’es lit up as she saw the commodore not far away’. “Have a coughdrop, sir?” she asked the commanding officer of our navy as 'die proffered her bag of sweets. To this day’ the commodore’s favourite sweet is the coughdrop which he accepted with a smile from “Ma,” on that sports dav at Devonport. “They are great, the officers as well as my boys,” says the little old lady with the grey hair. “And where would we be to-day without Jack”” she asks wistfully, as her thoughts go back to a fight If years ago, and a elles that '"' aS sunk at the Dardan-