Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1918-03-07
OFFICERS INN VERY
POPULAR IN LONDON

LONDON, March THE newest and
most attractive home in London for
American officers is called the Ameri>
can Officers Inn and stands in Caven-
dish Square, one of the most fashion
able residential districts of the English
metropolis. The Inn, which is operat-
ey by the American Y. NJ. c. is direct
" across the square from the Ameri-
can consul-generaI office. The Inn
was formerly occupied by Sir H. II.
Raphael, a member of parliament, who
was on the point of selling it when
he heard that the Americans wanted
it and generously turned it over to
item
The Inn, which is four-story typi-
cal English town house with large
rc oms and high ceilings, was formal
" opened by Ambassador Walter
Hines Page the other day when it was
inspected by several hundred of the
leading Americans in England and
others. These included Viscount
Bryce, formerly British ambassador at
Washington; the Earl of Haddo, the
Countess of Reading, wife of the new
special ambassador to the United
States, Lady Randolph Churchill,
Major-General Bartlett, in command
Of the American forces in England
and others widely known on both sidse
of the Atlantic. A feature was the
attendance of a group of veterans OF
the American Civil War, now living
in England.
The house has been attractively
furnished by the American Y. M. c. A.
The walls are hung with series
paintings lent by John Lane, nephew
of Sir Hguh Lane, the art collector
who was lost with the Lusitania.
The Inn, which combines all the
advantages of first-class club, with
dining-room, billiard room, library. tea
room and about forty bedrooms, is be-
ing managed by committee OF
American women, including Lady
Ward, daughter of the late American
Ambassador, Whitelaw Reid, Mrs.
Spender Clay Mrs. Cecil Higgins, and
Mrs. E. c. Carter They are assisted
by about a hundred women, mostly
Americans, who are giving up part OF
their time usually devoted to other
war work.
Greeting visitors at the door is Miss
Vivian North, of New York, who man
ages to squeeze in a few hours from
Der hospital work to do this and run
the elevator Just inside The door at
the registration desk sits Mrs. Allen
Nichols, already called Little Moth
er" by the Americans. Mrs Nichols
is an American who has been super
wishing welfare work among munitiOn
workers at Coventry. Her duties cor
respond to those of a chief clerk be-
hind a hotel desk and she is a virtual
encyclopedia of information of things
that American want to know about
London. Working alternately with
her is Miss Doris Robson, niece or
Countess Reading, who has been work
| ing on the land until a fe wdays ago.
| Mrs. Spender Clay who came here
from Philadelphia and is the wife of
| lieutenant-colonel in the British ar
my in France, is general superintend-
ent at the Inn She is the only one
to wear the green-grey uniform of the
cXpeditionary force of the American
Pretty pinafores of chintz, designed
| by a prominent American woman, are
worn by the numerous American and
| English women volunteers who come
| in to take several hours of duty each
| day These women, the majority of
whom are widely known in society
on bottle sides of the Atlantic submit
| to a sort of discipline most cheerfully.
Those assigned to the Inn put in a
regular routine of duty and none has
been known to be tardy. One force
relieves another and the work is car
RED on without interruption.