“Home Letters Received at Palmerston North”

White Ribbon, Volume 19, Issue 8, 1 September 1947, Page 5

“Home Letters Received at Palmerston North”

4 Chichester Street, Westminster, S.W.I. England. Pear Mrs. Coles, Very many thanks from various aged and inrirm (and some not so aged but somewhat infirm) residents of \\ estminstcr, who have benefited by the generous gifts of soap sent by the I’almerston North Union of the W.C.T.U. Household soap, and to a lesser extent, toilet soap, has been very scarce here, and the sight of it produced a sparkle in the eye that will soon be matched by a few more on sundry clothes lines. Westminster is the soo iest city in England after Sheffield, and its inhabitants complain hit - tery of the hard water and shortage of soap which add to their laundry difficulties. However, one of the recipients of your soap has just handed me a copy of the “World Digest” with an article on New Zealand, wherein we read that your housewives have to contend with volcanic ash on their washing at times. Fortunately, we don’t suffer from volcanoes; only a blitz which seems to empt every 25 years! None of us will ever forget the morning of May 10th, 1941, after one of the heaviest blitzes on London. The sun was shining brilliantly at Higligait, which is about seven miles from iere, hut here we had a dense fog from smoke, and a rainfall of black, charred paper and pieces, which floated down all day, although the raid ended at dawn. There was some dirty work at the cros«-ro«»us that time! An old Irish patient of mine had to he taken to hospital with shock, and cuts on the face and nose, and greeted me with, “Hello, doctor, ole Hitler thought he’d give me a black eye, but he missed the mark and punched my nose instead.” She was hit three times in different raids, but still emerged triumphant. A week airo she w’as nearly killed when the front of the house, weakened by blitzing, suddenly fell dow’n. This week I took her some of your soap, and this was her greeting: “Oh, sure, and ’tis nice to see you, doctor —just when I’m feeling I don’t like myself at all. And this is from N’w Zealand, you say? However did they know my name and address now ? Well, isn’t that nice of them? And me with a week’s washing all piled up ♦o do.” She is 72. living alone now. She has three sons, all married and living away. As one of them said: “Ma got more knocking about here than any of us (ltd abroad in the fighting.”

Another lovely soul of fifty-odd is going blind from a mixture of diabetes and too much tobacco smoking. She was told she must give up smoking, which was a great blow to her. So I sent her some soap and a new’ pipe and suggested that when she felt she couldn’t resist smoking, she should

Dr. A. Gilbey

blow hubbies instead. She replied that that was tantamount to offering a doll to a woman who had lost her baby, but that all the same she was grateful for the soap whir’ she proposed to use in the orthodox manner. She has lost weight tj such an extent mat it would he impossible for her to stand in a queue, so the soap is really a gnat help to her. Another recipient is a cheery little body who is nearlv crippled with arthritis and unable to do her own washing, but can get it done by a friend with the soap she received, and was delighted with her good fortune. Two other patients, each with an ulcerated leg, were equally enchanted with your gifts. The medicated soap will soothe the envenomed skin of an allergic sufferer, and the toilet soap is pleasing to two old ladies with little of life’s luxuries to bless themselves with.

We arc sometimes sad when we hear of hits and pieces of the Empire dropping away like crumb tng fragments from an ageir rock. And then comes a letter such as yours, and all the kindly thoughts and generous help from folk who’ve never known or seen us, yet call us kin, and we realise that hv God’s good grace, there are bonds of love that hind our countries more firmly than any treaty of conquest could ever do; and our hearts are lifted up once again. We shall ever remember with thankfulness the help that New Z.ealand has given. We appreciate it deeply.

Yours sincerely, A. GILBEY. News of Our Delegates to World Convention 190 Medway Street, Westminster. London. Dear Miss Jamieson, The parcel of good things in tins came to Headquarters while I was away at Convention in the States. Very many thanks to the senders from thr recipients. 1 gave the distribution to members of the office staff, who mainly live alone, or with one other person. People with only one or two ration books are shorter of “points”—for which all of your gifts would have called if bought here; and so they greatly appreciate these additions. We art all grateful for the practical help from our “White Ribbon Sisters.” At the Convention it was good to meet again friends from whom we had been parted for so many years, and w r c from the B.W.T.A.U. had a very happy time, and a great w-elcome. Your two New Zealand delegates were much applauded for their enterprise in flying over. It is a pity that travel is so costly, for it does curtail

the delegations troni afar. No one was present from Australia, and we had only 18 instead of our permitted fiO from England. Some of us had to fly because we couid not get steamer accommodation, hut this, too, is very expensive. But, despite everything, it was a good Convention, and the meeting together was one of the best things. There is undoubtedly a bond hetw’cen “White Ribl>on” folk that is missing from other conventions. We are now looking forward to 1950 when we meet again in Em laud. I hope some of vou who have been so kind to us will come over; and though we may not, even by then, be a land of plenty in the catering sense, we shall give you a great welcome. With every good wis’\ and with many thanks. • Yours sincerely, DOROTHY STAUNTON (Miss Staunton is the Editor of the English “White Robbon.” Editor’s note.)