Evening star., 1943-03-04

! ! : ! ! !: ]: 7 ! !: ! ! ! ! !
: were cnApped
~ and red but she
E smiled when she
- l # met US 1t the
train and led US
sss a to the baggage
car and directed
the piling Of our
luggage On the
Asarv MsIensrs. big barrow.
There were aviators' parachute
Kits, soldiers lockers and field
rolls. Finally 1t was stacked on .
mountain OF luggage. "Redcap," one
OF the Americans called. Porter,
come get this luggage" In our In
stinctive search for some one to
handle our baggage we had for
gotten about the little old lady. We
thought We were back in Grand
Central Station or Pennsylvania
Station.
Then we saw the little old lady.
She was the porter we were calling
for. She was the "Redcap." She
was handling tho luggage. Her back
bent, her shoulders stopped, she was
trudging along between the handles
OF the barrow, handling q load Of
luggage that must have weighed TOO
pounds. We ran after her. Two big
pursuit pilots were the first to reach
her.
Here, lady, you can't do that"
they said, mot with US around. Let
US have that thing"
This Is My Job"
She didn't stop. She didn't Yield
her burden. She kept plodding down
the long platform that was wrapped
IN the gloom Of an early morning
blackout.
NO" she said, this is my Job
and I'll do 1t. I'm glad to do it,"
No amount Of persuasion could
make her quit. It wasn't easy to
walk alongside her and watch her
hit and push weight many times
more than her own. It was like
watching your own mother do q
task that belonged to her sons.
talked to her. I asked her why
she did this I asked her If she had
to do this.
NO." she said, II really don't have
to but I want to. We are short Of
men, you know. I'm short of men
myself. My husbands at sea with
the merchant marine and my son
and two nephews are fighting ROM
mel. I'm only too glad to help"
Then she looked up at the Amer
lean pursuit pilot who was walking
alongside her. "You have a Job to
do too, son, and youT do it. God
bless you'll"
Nothing in all Of England's war
effort is more magnificent than the
work Of it's women. For every Spit
fire and Hurricane pilot in the air,
there Is a sister, wife or sweetheart
working long hours on the ground.
For every man who walks the decks
of the Kings fleet, there is q wom-
an working long hours at tedious, in
glorious jobs. You cannot go any,
where IN England and not see a
woman in uniform, and for every
woman in uniform there are one.
two, or three in drab dungarees.
filling in at jobs once done by men
who are now in service.
All Are Serving.
From the Royal Princesses down.
they are serving. You see them
manning anti-aircraft guns. You
see them bicycling through the cold
rains and mists, carrying dispatches.
You see them wading through knee
deep mud to bring woman's smile
and voice to isolated troops. You
see them filing out of factories,
handling mammoth trucks, trun-
ding bombs and ammunition.
A few nights ago I travelled with
some omcers to a distant bomber
station. A British girl serving in
the American Red Cross drove VI
over twisting roads that wers COM
pletely blacked out She drove "
nearly 100 miles under conditions
that would tire an Indianapolis
Speedway driver. She waited on us
until early in the morning and then
started back to London. Only once
did she show the strain Of such
work.
Would you mind If pulled up
for a moment and closed my eyes,"
she asked sleepily. We said, "Of
course not" She stopped by tho
side OF the road. Her head drooped.
She slept for minute or two, then
she was of again. She told mo q
bit ashamedly that she hated to be
sissy but she already had driven
240 miles before she had been A.
signed to drive us and hadn't been
to sleep in II hours.
you shouldn't go like that" I
said. "ItTl kill YOU"
II don't know what being tired IL "
she said. MY husband came back
after Is sleepless days and NIGHTS at
Dunkirk. I knew when I looked at
his face that all the WEAKNESS I
could ever feel would be only play"
Her husband Is now somewhere in
Egypt. She's carrying on for him
and what Is true Of her is true of
millions Of English women. They
are magnificent. That's the only
word for them.
distributed BY McNausht Syndicate, yncN
Winchester Soldier lniurad