Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-07
WOMEN TAKEN TO
FRANCE TO WORK
More Than -Four Thousand English
Girls ENLIST 6r Duty in Occu.
pations Behind the Lines.

UlFlS ~EnHSt IOF DUTY In Occu.
patiOns Behind the Lines.
Headquarters of Women's Auxiliary
Corps, Behind British Lines in France.
-(Correspondence Of the Associated
Press).-When it was decided to en-
ploy women with the British army in
France the main difficulty that arose
lay in the question Of housing. Ac-
commodation in France had been pre-
pared solely in accordance with the
requirements of male troops, and mod
ifications and adaptations for the use
of women required careful considera-
ton.
The camps and hostels for the wom-
en- workers had to be fully equipped.
within reasonable distance from the
places of employment. and on some
what higher standard of comfort than
was required for the men.
With the cooperation Of the mill
tary authorities. preliminary arrange
ments were so rapidly carried out, that
within a month after the decision to
send women to France, everything
was ready for the first groups of
workers. These crossed the channel
at the end Of April this year. AT
present the women's quarters are
principally hutted camps, and in no
tells taken over by the corps at some
of the bases. These camps accommo'
!, date from twenty-eight to five hun
, dred women each. Their total accom-
mediation has reached figure owe
four thousand.
/ Each camp, however small, is un
der the charge of woman administra
tor responsible for the comfort ant
l we'll being Of its occupants and TO
i. their discipline outside office hours.
r The question is often asked: is tn
r discipline of the women workers yer,
strict? The question of discipline wa
, a subject of careful consideration
, ! The women of the. auxiliary corp
] cannot be treated as children; the
n are carefully chosen in the first in
f stance and are doing responsible
y work. For this reason q great dea
K of liberty is given them and the rule
y and regulations are not stringent.
D Members of the corps must wea
I uniforms on all occasions: there ar
certain restrictions regarding admis
s sion to cafes In France. There ar
e occasional roll calls at the hotels, bu
n out of office hours the women are a.
lowed a great deal of liberty. TIL
administrator may sanction invita-
lions to men to the public recreatio
4 rooms Of the hotel.
n The idea in enforcing disciplin
v among the women workers is that the
:. should be led, not driven, and thu
4 much depends on the admlnistrato
S who acts as leader. still more on I'll
manner id which the individual men
n bers respond to the trust reposed
IL them to keep up the personal cred
e and the honor Of the corps. 1t speal
# we'll for the success of the systemsth
&c after an experience Of several montl
= in France only three girls have bee
returned to England and they for
act which showed more stupidity ths
deliberate indiscipline.
lie The administrators are careful
n. chosen, being in many cases teache
3 in girls schools or housekeepers
schools or Iarge institutions. Othe
are women trained In welfare work
university women who have had 6
perience in similar work. To fit the
for their special work in France,
women chosen for administrators I
ceive instruction before being sent
to take up their duties.
Recruits for the women's army a
very carefully selected in Englar
Each candidate must furnish two n
erences, which are carefully consult'
tThen the candidate Is sent before
/ selection board and a medical boa
4 both of whom have set fairly hi
] standard. Approved candidates 9
called up" to receiving depot afi
q short time allowed them for maxi
preparations. On arriving at the
ceiving hotels the candidates are s
EMMY enrolled and required to 81
their formal agreements before a n
itary officer. ! They stay at the
ceiving hotel, about three weeks, d.
ing which time they are inoculated q
vaccinated, fitted with uniforms q
taught some elementary march
drill. They also attend lectures
the work before them. These tn
weeks are very valuable; the won
make friends among their future
sociates and begin to get little
that valuable esprit de corps,'-pr
in their work and understanding
y its value and Importance.
When the first batch OF recr,
came to take possession OF the
receiving hotel In London they "
= told that the beds had not yet arri
and that they would have to sleep
" straw flied mattresses stretched o
4 planks. Not Q protest was made.
q though vaccination and inoculat
>, soon gave aches and pains to sew,
Q Of them: on the contrary they
!. joiced In the temporary discomfort