ENGLISH WIVES OF AUSTRALIANS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1919, Page 10

ENGLISH WIVES OF AUSTRALIANS.

10,000 MARRIKD IX ENGLAND. ONLY 13 DESERTION" CASES. Rumours are being spread (says The Weekly .Dispatch) that many English women .married to Australian soldiers have been deserted. The husbands, according to report, have sailed for Australia leaving their wives behind. In an effort to cope with what promised to be a grave scandal, the Australian military authorities have established a Deserted "Wives' Department at 130, Horseferry Road, S.W., London. Up to the present, however, the response has been small, only 13 deserted wives have sent in particulars of their cases. Judging from their letters, the majority of these are women with a fair amount of education. They arc not, as was at one time feared, "the type of woman whom the Commonwealth Government would regard as undesirable. Under the circumstances, the Australian authorities are communicating with the husbands concerned, ana will arrange for their wives to be sent out to them should they so'desire. If not, the wife will be granted facilities for obtaining a divorce in England, on the grounds of desertion. Most cases seem to illustrate the old adage: "Marry in haste, repent at leisure." Brigadier-General C. H. Foott, the Deputy Director-General of the Australian Repatriation Department, in an interview, said that the Commonwealth military authorities woufd welcome inquiries from women whose husbands had sailed without them. "When you consider the number of our men who married in England—between 10,000 and 1-1,000 —it is not to be wondered that there should be occasional instances o f desertion when the hasty character of many of the marriages is borne in mind," he added"Occasionally one sees in a newspaper a report of a woman claiming to be the des-crted wife of an Australian soldier. Sometimes she is, sometimes she is not. If her ease is a genuine one, we will give her every assistance. Strictly speaking, the matter is outside the province of the Australian military authorities, but wo do not want it to be slid that we turned aside legitimate applications for help. "There is an isolated case here and there of undesirable Women who nave trapped our men into marriage. These women we refuse permission to go to Australia under any circumstan ns, in the interests of the' Commonwealth and the man himself." "Up to the- present," added - General Foott, "we have repatriated 9197 viwS and children of Australian soid : ers. Another 3000 are waiting transportation, the husband usually being granted indefinite leave, with pay and ration allowance, while awaiting a steamer Another 27C0 men have claimed fieir discharge in England, and as such are not entitled to repatriation at the Commonwealth, expense. The men and their wives are fully aware of this fact. "The Australian soldier takes his 'marriage vows quite as seriously as anybody else. That is proved by the extraordinarily low percentage of women who have been deserted." '