For the Sake of the Soldier: Voluntary Work of Brisbane Women — Context and Discussion

Easter Dinners to the men in camp, the purchasing of a billiard table, a pianola and a piano for the White City, and the supplying of pies to men on military duty two nights weekly. The members have been successful in collecting over £1,900 since the inception of the club, and £139 4s. 8d. of that sum was raised on behalf of the Citizens’ Queen’s Carnival in aid of the Residential Club. Other efforts include the presentation of flags, while the conducting of the Comforts Funds of the 41st and 42nd Battalions is included in the regular work of the club.

THE TOOWONG GIRLS’ CLUB.

This club has raised considerable sums through garden parties, concerts and the selling of cakes and flowers, the result of their efforts being divided between various patriotic organisations. The distributions have included the presentation of side drums to various Companies, and furniture for the sitting room at the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital. The club also keeps a bed in up-to-date order in the same hospital.

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THE NEW FARM GIRLS’ CLUB.

The members of this club have presented two rowing boats and a complete set of garden tools to the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital among other gifts for patriotic needs. Their most successful venture was a concert held in the South Brisbane Technical College in 1915, when £45 was raised.

HAMILTON GIRLS’ CLUB.

The chief objects of this band of workers is to buy materials for garments, which are forwarded to the Hamilton Red Cross and the Queensland Comforts Fund, while wool is obtained for socks for the Sock Fund. Other gifts have included linoleum for the billiard room at the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital. The funds have been raised chiefly through river trips, tennis parties and other entertainments, over £250 having been collected since June, 1915.

The girls of the Voluntary Aid Detachment are easily recognised in their navy blue coats with a Red Cross Badge on the arm. There are two detachments in Brisbane, with a full complement of 24 girls in each, the detachments being under the supervision of Commandants and Quartermasters. Each girl qualifies for her position, and must hold first aid and home nursing certificates, and produce them within six months of joining. V.A.D. girls have taken up their work with a determination. Not only do they receive a certain amount of training in the civil hospitals, but they are drilled by a sergeant once a week during the major part of the year, and they work under discipline at regular stated times. Their most notable work in Brisbane is the buffet at the Kangaroo Point Hospital, where morning tea, afternoon tea and supper is provided for convalescent soldiers at a nominal cost, the idea being to supply small extras apart from the rations allowed by the military authorities. This branch of their work has been highly successful. The small kitchen is the centre of V.A.D. cooks and waitresses both day and night, while the restaurant between the recreation hall and the kitchen is always full of returned convalescent soldiers. A few months ago a number of soldiers approached the V.A.D. authorities, and said that they thought the charges at the buffet were too small. They felt it savoured of charity, but the V.A.D. would not hear of raising the prices, and in proof of the absence of charity, explained that in the first nine months they had made a profit of £150. As is well known, two of the girls went home to England last year to assist in the military hospitals, but one of the girls (Miss Lydia Grant) became ill while on duty and died on April 1st of this year. Two girls were recently accepted for duty in the Stanthorpe Military Hospital, and have now taken up their duties as cook and wardsmaid, while another member of the detachment has been appointed to the position of cook in a military hospital in Egypt. A V.A.D. girl must be prepared to work hard, and it speaks well for the Brisbane girls that there are so many enthusiasts attached to the movement.

The patriotic workers of the Y.W.C.A. are nearly all business girls, so that any time or money given is particularly self-sacrificing. There are two patriotic committees in the association. The War Relief Committee, which is a sub-committee of the North Ward Branch of the Red Cross, and the Soldiers’ Comforts Club, which assists the Queensland Soldiers’ Comforts Fund. There are a large number of members to each committee, and the donations consist of both goods and money.

OTHER GIRLS’ EFFORTS.

It would be difficult to find a club, society, or band of girls at present in Brisbane, who are not assisting to swell patriotic funds in one way or another. Some have had more notable results than others, but all are absolutely giving of their best. A band of girls under the supervision of a patriotic worker, have collected considerable sums for the Wattle Day League, enabling that body to hand over sufficient money to the Red Cross, in 1915, to erect the recreation hall at Kangaroo Point Hospital, in addition to giving substantial sums to other funds. Last year they collected nearly £800 for the League, the sum being handed over to the War Council to obtain Caines’ artificial limbs for maimed returned soldiers. They had a notable success for France last month (July), and are working for another collection day later in the year when it is proposed to devote the proceeds to the benefit of Queensland soldiers. This is the result of the efforts of one band of girls, while practically all the girls’ schools in and around Brisbane send in garments and socks to one or other of the movements to assist the soldiers. Nor must the energetic work of the amateur operatic societies be forgotten. Many of the members of the Brisbane Amateur Operatic Society and the Brisbane Amateur Operatic Players are girls who have contributed to patriotic funds through their individual efforts. Girls are also continually arranging private concerts and entertainments, the proceeds of which are devoted to the cause of the soldier. One teacher of elocution has toured the country with a small company at intervals during the last three years and has succeeded in raising over £2,000 for patriotic funds. Early in the year, the Red Triangle appeals resulted in exceptional sums being raised, and girls in all parts of Queensland were untiring in their efforts to collect money or arrange entertainments for the Y.M.C.A. Huts. The Brisbane girl is not afraid to work for the soldier; rather is it her pride to exert in his interests what energy she may possess.

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Brisbane Spinning Guild.

REVIVAL OF AN OLD INDUSTRY.

Spinning is such an old handicraft that most modern Australian girls grew up with the idea that spinning belonged more to the time of fairy tales than to a period within even living memory. They all knew the story of the princess who was spinning when her wicked godmother cast a spell and transformed her into a sleeping beauty. Old legends of the homeland told of the women who spun, and one knew that in Highland cottages, with grandfather clocks, deep, wide fireplaces and inglewoods, there were spinning wheels hidden away in some forgotten corner.

But to-day in Brisbane there are hundreds of spinners spinning wool to make socks for the soldiers. Owing to the scarcity and price of wool a Brisbane Wool Spinning Guild was started in Brisbane over a year ago by a small band of enthusiasts, one object being to provide wool to soldiers’ relatives at less than the shop prices.

There are now over 100 spinning wheels belonging to the guild, the wheels being made from bicycle wheels donated to the guild, and manufactured by the Railway Department free of charge. The majority of these are hired out to Brisbane members at the rate of 5s. for six months. Wheels may also be bought from £2. 10s., and numbers have been sold to country members. In some sheep stations the wool is grown, dipped, spun, carded and made into socks on the homestead, the complete article being a product of that one station.

So far, all the wool used by the guild has been donated by the squatters of Queensland, and since all the work is voluntary it is possible to sell the spun and carded wool at less than the ordinary cost price. The carding is either hand-carded at the rooms, or it is done at the mills through the courtesy of the mill-owners.

The rooms are open every Tuesday and Friday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., third floor, Courier Building. And what a busy and picturesque scene is presented on these days. On each side of the long room are women sitting at the spinning wheels, about 20 wheels all moving at the same time. It is here that beginners are taught, and experienced spinners work industriously. Members are allowed to buy the carded wool, but all wool spun at home on the hired machine is returned to the guild, where it is weighed and examined by the committee. A small book of instruction was compiled and issued last year so that women in the country have every facility to learn. The guild has been of inestimable value to women who have a number of relatives at the war, and who found the price of wool a severe tax on slender means. The movement has steadily grown throughout Queensland in the last year, and no better testimony of the work could be shown than the splendid exhibitions of wool displayed by amateur spinners at the Brisbane Show, both this year and last year, and at the recent Toowoomba Show. The renewal of spinning shows the determination of women to use every means possible to alleviate the hardships of war.

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Queensland Soldiers’ Comforts Fund.

FOR MEN IN THE TRENCHES.

The thought of the severe strain of trench life, whether in the deserts of Egypt or the blood-stained fields of France, has always struck a chord of compassion in the hearts of women. It seemed so terrible that, in addition to risking their lives, the soldiers should be faced with daily discomfort; and when the Queensland Division of the Australian Soldiers’ Comforts Fund was established in Brisbane, in September, 1915, there was a big response to the appeal for help. It was felt that no one here in the comfort of ordinary life could do too much to alleviate that discomfort, and all over Queensland women set to work to provide what they knew was required by the men in the trenches. The local branch became headquarters, and to-day there are over 40 branches throughout the State, with the central headquarters situated in the basement of Parbury House.

This general fund provides comforts for all Queensland soldiers irrespective of the unit to which they belong. Over £5,000 has been donated by the people of Queensland, and this money is used to buy the materials for garments and socks, to provide groceries and sundries required by the men, while a certain amount of money is sent monthly to the commissioners abroad to provide coffee stalls, entertainments (picture and variety shows) and musical instruments for men right in the trenches and firing lines. Honorary commissions have been appointed by the Commonwealth Government, and it is they who acquaint the Australian governing bodies of what the men require. When Mr. Budden (late Chief Hon. Commissioner for Australian comforts) was in Brisbane he said that in one month alone they had provided 81,960 socks to men in the front trenches. The colossal task undertaken by the women may be imagined when this was quoted as one item. At another time, 25,000 tooth brushes and 25,000 tins of tooth powder were provided. To all these requirements the Queensland Division contributed her share. In the first year the hundreds of consignments sent abroad included among the comforts 5,830 shirts, 11,607 pairs of socks, 1,232 tins of milk, 763 tins of fruit and jam, 5,000 packets and tins of cigarettes, 1,250 tins of fish, and a list of articles too lengthy to enumerate. And in no way has the work slackened since that month of September, 1915.

The headquarters at Parbury House are the scene of many busy hours. The room is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Saturday, when it closes at midday, and one of the honorary secretaries is on duty daily. The workers are occupied continually with sewing or cutting out, distributing material or wool to be used up, arranging the goods for various consignments, packing cases to be forwarded abroad, or unpacking the contributions from one of the 40 country branches. There are ten sewing machines in the room, and when they are all being used, and the various other sections of the organization are centres of busy women, the room seems one hive of activity. The honorary secretary’s table, with a telephone, is in the centre, while to the left is a circulating library, initiated by the Girls’ Sub-committee to augment the funds. This committee has also made considerable sums through the sale of cakes and home-made sweets, while individual members make and sell home-made jams to swell the funds. All work is voluntary, and no effort is spared to increase the comforts for the soldiers, and the committees are continually improving their methods and means of attending to the wants of the men who are in the trenches. The movement is essentially alive, and if the men could see how earnestly and unselfishly the women were considering their wants, they would feel cheered indeed. As it is, the letters that pour in from all sources show the deep appreciation of the men. The wonderful part is their gratitude--they do not seem to realise the tremendous sacrifices they themselves are making. Time and again the commissioners report that the soldiers will say quietly, “You are too good to us,” and when coffee is served near the firing line or soup made, the soldiers seem to take it as a message from home. All gifts are bought or made in Australia, if possible, and a “comforts” badge or message put on the articles. The fact that they come direct from Australia increases their value a hundredfold in the eyes of the men. General Birdwood voiced the thought of the Australians when he sent the following message to those in charge of the Comforts’ Funds: “All members of the A.I.F. send our most grateful thanks to the kind wishers in Australia, who have done so much to help the Australian soldiers through times of difficulty and discomfort in the field. What that help has meant none but those who have seen it on the spot can possibly realise.”

If you are interested in a soldier call or write for our New List of

It includes Suggestions for Presents for Soldiers at “Send-offs.” Suggestions for Presents for the Soldier at the front. A list of useful parcels for posting, including Cigarettes and Chocolates, or Useful Articles of Clothing. The Parcels range in price from 5s. upwards. There are a hundred to select from.

All Colours in Battalion Brooches kept in stock.

=Rothwells Ltd.=, Edward Street, BRISBANE.

We think of love, of garden plots and song, We dream our dreams to be--and gone-- While hell let loose, men speak and done Defend Verdun.

A glint of red, a glow of crimson flowers Uplift their heads to meet the morning hours, A glint of red--in battlefield the Hun Awaits Verdun.

O! Frailty of man who only knows When stormy wind across his garden blows! For glints of red a-shining in the sun Reflect Verdun.

AUSTRALIAN CHOCOLATE FOR AUSTRALIAN SOLDIERS

Nothing so sustaining for winter conditions as GRIFFITHS’ Pure Chocolate. Packed in specially sealed tins ready for posting to the Front. Also in Solid Blocks. Post a Block with your next pair of socks.

Have you seen our SOLDIER’S HAMPER Lists? Write or ring us up (’Phone 3496) and we will post you one.

Griffiths Bros. Prop. Ltd.

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Large Blocks of Chocolate also obtainable at Finney Isles & Co. Ltd., Allan & Stark Ltd., Etc.

What could be more comforting to our boys in the trenches than PHOTOGRAPHS of their “Ain Folk” from time to time.

Make an appointment with--

Thos. Mathewson & Co., 184 Queen Street (next Finney Isles & Co.) Brisbane,

And secure a PORTRAIT to send in time for Christmas.

Soldiers in the Field.

INDIVIDUAL COMFORTS FUNDS.

In addition to the General Comforts Funds, many individual funds have sprung up in the last twenty months for various units. Fêtes have been organised, entertainments given, arts and crafts sold, and business ventures started and continued with success to augment the funds of battalions and units for which different committees are exerting individual effort. It was felt that the soldiers would appreciate gifts all the more if they knew they were especially sent for their own particular unit, and regimental flags are made and sent overseas, comforts provided, and any special requests of the commanding officers are attended to wherever possible.

Money is sent when specially asked for, and expended at the discretion of the commanding officers, while the continual upkeep of consignments to the different battalions means an unfailing interest on the part of the women. When the men know that the cases have arrived from Queensland and are consigned to their own particular battalion, a special value is attached to them. The very fact that they have been thought of individually is a pleasure, and from all accounts the cases assume the proportion of Santa Claus to a small boy.

Some idea of the magnitude of the work performed in Queensland, to send comforts to soldiers in the field, is realised when it is known that, in addition to the Queensland Soldiers’ Comforts Fund, the following comforts funds are also in existence in Brisbane:--

2nd Light Horse 5th Light Horse 11th Light Horse 9th and 49th Battalions 15th Battalion 25th Battalion 26th Battalion 31st Battalion 41st and 42nd Battalions 47th Battalion 3rd Pioneers 4th Pioneers 9th Field Artillery Miners and Engineers

A Letter from France.

Dear Mrs. S---- and Miss W----

Our Colonel has to-day handed me your most magnificent parcel for distribution to friendless men of my company. The parcel, which was sent by Messrs. T. C. Beirne & Co., arrived in good order, and was greatly appreciated by the men. It really was one of the best parcels I have yet seen. Everything it contained was just what we find it difficult to get here.

(Signed) W. M. Davis, Major, 25th Batt., A.I.F.

And that’s only one of the many appreciative letters for Beirne’s Soldier Boy Hampers that we have seen.

Every Mail for the Front sees hundreds of BEIRNE HAMPERS going to make the recipients happy.

Can we send one for you? No trouble! Just give us your order. We do everything else.

Prices run:--10/-, 15/-, 20/-, 25/-

And that means THE POSTAGE PAID BY US.