Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1915-03-12
TO HELP REGULAR MILITARY
In Case of German Invasion the Re-
serve viii Direct Flight of Women
and Children From Scene Of
Fighting and If Necessary
Shoulder Rifles.
By :HlLLlP EVERETT.

-AanS ~--+- invrCn Great Britain anu
situation becomes desperate they
iii be faced by an army of English
krnazons, carefully drilled and
t, lined to the use Of the rifle com
p1red to which these Teutonic women
arriors are a mere bagatelle.
When first heard Of the Women's
Volunteer reserve, thought it was
5nke or rather a new ebullition Of the
s,ffrasette class, but after visit to
fI4,-f8cdf>rd' college and a view or
.. determined women perspiring
ouch their military drills, l must
confess that my feelings have
changed.
1T is not to be concluded that the
women will rush to the coast and hgnt
the moment the Germans make
.nding. They will take up the r1ne
ulv when Great Britain is in desper-
re straits. Till such, an unhappy
tine the reserve will simply act as
5,sciplined body IF women, skilled In
first aid, cooking, dispatch riding on
-,ctorcvcles, signaling and the care
- horses.
AT the same time the rifle is not
ne neglected" said Viscountess
.st5ereagh, the colonel in chief OF
, vomen's emergency corps. GAIL
.ae women are spending time in the
srivate rifle ranges and there are some
astonishingly good shots among them.
There is no reason in the world why
a woman cannot be as good marks
man as a man.
It was also pointed out to me by one
of the officers of the women's reserve
that women bear certain forms OF
hardship better than men. 1t Is well
known physiological fact that women
are less suspectible to cold and wet
than the stronger sex. Their bodies
are better protected by fatty tissue.
This is seen on the bathing beach
where women are able to enjoy them
selves on chilly days when most or
the men seek the clubhouse. the
same condition should be true IN wet,
damn trenches. It is also accepted
that a woman, once her nervousness
is over. and her determination is in
spired, can stand more physical pain
than man.
I'm fact" said my woman informer,
"the only way the women would be
inferior to man coldiers would be In
the long marches"
At Old Bedford college, which Is the
headquarters of the Women's emer-
gency corps, found Col. Viscountess
Castlereagh and Hon. Eveline HaVer-
field, honorary colonel, hard at WORK
with their recruits. Mrs. Haverheid
Is remembered for her carefully or
ganized remount camp, which she
built up at the time of the Boer war.
Go Through Infantry Drill.
Nearly hundred women we're 60
ing through the regular army infan-
try drill. They were not women OF
leisure either. Most of them had put
through a days toll already in an Of
flee or along some professional line.
Several regular army officers in uni
form were present to assist In the
work. The war officers at first took
contemptuous attitude towards this
movement but they have come to see
the value of it just as the usefulness
of the Boy Scouts is now generally
recognized.
I had an interview with Capt. Adair-
Roberts. the woman drill officer.
1--WE are following the regular army
rules throughout" she said. mo COM
missions are granted except for merit.
When women are adjudged competent
to teach the drill the regular army
officers drop out in their favor.
1.-THE reserve is strictly nonpartisan
and nonsectarian. No women OF
wealth are permitted to buy commits
sions, although there have been many
attempts of this sort.
81 can show you a titled woman ana
one of her servants drilling here size
by side This is not an isolated IN
stance either, there are several such.
At first the fear was expressed that
if woman were taught the use of
rife, the Germans would charge snip
ing" and ferocious reprisals would be
the result, but now it is realized that
the organizing of the women will pre-
vent instead Of encourage, foolish in
dividual action, such as is certain to
take place in moments of great dan
ger among an ulorganiZed populace.
The helpless rabble Of Belgium, wom-
en- and children refugees fleeing they
knew not whittier, will not be repeat
ed in Great Britain.
No woman is permitted to enter the
reserve without careful physical ex-
. min alton. Woman doctors from the
oi+v hospitals see to this in their hour
off The women of the reserve must
he over eighteen and under forty
years of age.
Special attention has been paid to
signaling practice, as this is an i'm
nortant branch Of warfare in which it
+ unanimously agreed that the female
soy may be of service. There are
nonv professional woman telegraph
.rs in the reserve. Instruction Is
: IN Morse and semaphore signal.
30 NV flags and also by sound.
6ther branches of ia6t7k -