For the Sake of the Soldier. Voluntary Work of Brisbane Women

Anyone called on to write a preface for a book describing the efforts of women for the sake of the soldier should not complain of want of material for his purpose. All over the British and Allied countries the splendid work of women shines out brilliantly in contrast to the dark background of the brutal horrors of war. Courage, patience, self-denial, self-sacrifice—with untiring energy and devotion—make up a galaxy of virtues that, to some extent at least, compensate for the dreadful losses and shocks which women have had to sustain, and when added to all these is the abiding faith of women in the great principles of Christianity, we have the foundation broader and deeper, than ever before, of a regeneration of the world of the future for the highest purposes. No effort of political or commercial organization can ever be comparable in its results with those to come from the noble ideals which have actuated the souls of the women and which they have now made portion of themselves.

In this country the women have risen to the occasion as readily and as effectively as their sisters in any part of the world. The war has touched them deeply—more deeply than it has touched a large number of our men. They have offered their services in many directions, and have appropriated to themselves spheres of work that are invaluable. No record that has been or, perhaps, can be now compiled can do full justice to the work that they have done and are still doing. Every day new avenues of useful help are being exploited by them. One of the latest productions is this little book compiled by a woman, presented by her free of cost, embodying one of her activities “for the sake of the soldier,” and as a preface to it this is an expression of hope and trust that the book shall prove a source of inspiration to others, both women and men, to rise to the spiritual and ideal heights prompted by the crisis of the war.

A. J. THYNNE, Colonel,
Vice Chairman State Recruiting Committee of Queensland.

Florence Nightingale.

“We shall never sheath the sword which we have not lightly drawn, until Belgium recovers in full measure all, and more than all, that she has sacrificed.” [MR. ASQUITH, at the Guildhall, Nov. 9th, 1914.] Raemaeker.

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For the Sake of the Soldier.

It would be just as impossible to give a complete account of the voluntary war work of Brisbane women as it would be to give a complete history of the actions of the soldiers in this war. There are countless deeds of devotion of which no record has ever been made, or ever will be. But there are results, and this little booklet is an attempt to give a resume of the work performed by Brisbane women for the sake of the soldier during the last three years.

Since the commencement of the war in 1914, organisations have sprung up wherever the need of the soldier has been recognised. They have mainly been the result of the efforts of women. The work has been entirely voluntary, and the enthusiasm has by no means diminished as one year has succeeded another. Many women have altered the whole tenor of their lives, and given their undivided attention and energy to the soldier. But the outstanding feature of the war work has been the courage with which women who have lost their sons have again taken up the thread of work for the common good. It is something too deep for passing words of appreciation. It is that which no pen can write—no words describe.

THE NEW Poulsen Studios Phone: Central 793. At the Old Address.

The Soldiers’ Popular Photographers.

Your friends can buy anything you may
send them except your Photograph.

14 to 18 QUEEN STREET - - BRISBANE.

The sign of the Red Cross has been an emblem of relief and comfort to thousands and thousands of soldiers during the last three years—and the women of Queensland have contributed their full share to that emblem. In the busy thoroughfares of the city, in the quietness of the home, and in the outlying districts of mining, agriculture and station holds they have worked incessantly since the outbreak of war. The Red Cross Society was the first institution established for the benefit of soldiers in Queensland. It started from a well-represented meeting in the Brisbane Town Hall in August, 1914, and has increased to such an extent that there is scarcely a town in Queensland in which there is not a branch of the Society, while in Brisbane alone there are 34 branches of Red Cross activity.

No man, woman or child can plead ignorance of Red Cross Work. It is voluntary help given to alleviate the pain and sickness of the soldiers, and the women of Queensland have spared no effort to supply goods to the hospitals and convalescent homes both at home and abroad.

The military hospitals in and around Brisbane, the transports leaving for war zones, and the Australian divisions of the Red Cross in Egypt, England, France and other parts of Europe are supplemented with necessities from the Queensland division of the Red Cross. To the head-quarters in Adelaide Street there is a steady flow of consignments arriving from the suburban and country branches. These are unpacked in the receiving and distributing room on the basement and stored ready for the demands of the military authorities. When a requisition for a hospital or transport is received the articles are again packed and distributed: groceries, bandages, socks, shirts, pyjamas, magazines and the hundred and one articles required for the sick or wounded being arranged and consigned according to the requirements. One thousand 1lb. tins of dripping are sent monthly for the prisoners of war in Germany, in addition to tins of fruit, meat extracts, honey, rolled oats, tea, cheese and other groceries, £5,400 a month being spent by the Australian Red Cross Society for the prisoners of war alone.

Then there are requirements of the men in the hospitals overseas. Altogether over 400,000 articles and hundreds of cases and bales of sundries have been sent overseas since the war broke out, 1258 consignments having been sent since last December in addition to 160 bags of sugar. The donations in money which have been collected and gathered through the strenuous efforts of the women amount to over £129,864. All this work is voluntary. This fact cannot be stressed too much, for therein lies the spirit of service which pervades the work of women for the soldier. Many of the Red Cross members have given up their lives to the society since the outbreak of the war, and in no way have their efforts diminished. The only absentees are those who are ill from overwork; but so strong is the desire to return, that often while yet in the stage of convalescence they will return to their posts.

The headquarters are a wonderful demonstration of the latent ability within women. Many of the workers lived in a small home circle previous to the war. But now they are capable business women. The organisation is well thought out and capably administered. There is no overlapping. Each section has its own particular convener and work. And when it is considered that there are 202 branches, in addition to sub-branches, within the Queensland division, and that the work of those branches includes the buying of material, the cutting out and making of garments and articles, and packing and despatching to headquarters; that there are sub-committees to supply delicacies to the local military hospitals, entertainment committees to provide amusement for returned men, handicraft and work sections to teach them a means of earning money, and an information bureau for relatives of men abroad, some idea of the tremendous work of the society will be realised. The hon. general secretary has her finger on the pulse of each of these activities, and a Red Cross Magazine is issued monthly to give all current information to the workers and public in general.

It is a wonderful achievement for women who, previous to the cry of war, had lived the every-day domestic life of the average woman. And they are as enthusiastic to-day as when they put their first stitch in a Red Cross garment or took up pen to arrange the financial affairs of a branch. Their difficulty is not the lack of gifts or work—these roll in daily—the chief outcry is the small amount of space obtainable to send the goods overseas to the men who are wounded and ill. The tonnage given to the Red Cross Society is worked on a percentage of the enlistments. And there is not nearly sufficient tonnage.

The Brisbane girl of war time should make a splendid woman, for she is spending her youth in a heroic and self-sacrificing age. The silken tassel of her girlhood has been torn and all the treasure of her youth thrown into the arena of war service. The delights promised since childhood have been swept away in the great tide of war, and instead of idle pleasures occupying her leisure hours, it is war work on every side. And the war work has become more to her than any idle pleasures could ever have become. All soldiers have been her friends, and she has worked with enthusiasm for them for the last three years.

At first her war work was a game, but as the seriousness of war dawned on her she settled down to solid, earnest work in the interests of the man in khaki. The business girl gives what time she can spare, the girl of leisure has in many cases given up her freedom. In the Red Cross Kitchen or the V.A.D. she will cook and serve for the Red Cross or Comforts Funds. She will sew and knit, or, again, she will devote hours to organising and taking part in entertainments, clubs, fêtes, or other channels for raising money to swell some particular fund. No task is too menial or too big for her in her endeavours to do “her bit” for the soldiers.

This was one of the first girls’ organisations for war work on a big scale. Among their chief activities have been the providing of Christmas and 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.

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.

Belgium in Winter.

Raemaeker.

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.

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.

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.

Afternoon Tea—from the V.A.D. Buffet, at the Kangaroo Point Hospital.

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is “GIBSONIA” Knitting Wool, made from the finest Victorian Western District Wools entirely in our own mills. Every process in the manufacture of this yarn is under the supervision of an expert, and in every particular the product will be found equal to the best imported Wools. At present we are making only 4-Ply in Black, Navy, Grey and Heather. From 3½ to 4 skeins of this Wool are required to knit a pair of full size Men’s Socks, and when made no man could wish to wear better. The Yarn is also suitable for Children’s Garments, Ladies’ Jackets, Cap Comforters, and, in fact, any purpose to which Knitting Wool is applied.

Our Price is 8 Pence per Skein, or 7/9 per Dozen Skeins. Red Cross and Patriotic Leagues who require larger quantities may have any of the four shades at the rate of 60/- per Spindle of 8 Dozen Skeins.

Made and Sold only by

Foy & Gibson Pty. Ltd.

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.

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.”

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:—

A Letter from France.

France,
3/2/17.

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.

T. C. BEIRNE & Co.,
“The House of the People.”
The VALLEY, : : : BRISBANE.

In a quiet obscure street leading from the main thoroughfares of the city, there is a sign hung out from the building of an old church, “Anzac Club.” A rest home is here provided for returned soldiers in particular, but all soldiers, whether recruits or men who have come through action, are welcome. It is the outcome of the efforts of the women of the Church of England Help Society, but no questions of religion are asked, and the club is open to men of all denominations and creeds.

The management is in the hands of men, and personal attention is given to individual soldiers in an open, broadminded way. For instance, if an intoxicated man comes into the club, he is not turned out, but taken to the rest room upstairs and given a couch to sleep off his intemperance. Everything possible is done to encourage the men to use the club. There are three rooms for their occupation. A large reading and lounge hall in the basement with a piano, gramaphone, easy chairs, small tables and a restaurant. The stage of this hall has been turned into a billiard room, and at all times of the day there are men using the privileges of the club. Upstairs there is a reading, writing and rest room, where notepaper, envelopes and a library are provided free of charge. No entrance fee or subscription is asked, and the only time a soldier has to put his hand in his pocket is when he requires refreshments. These are provided at the lowest cost possible, and it is obvious that some return is necessary to keep the restaurant in financial order. Letters are received and remain in the care of the manager until called for, the manager being in attendance every day and night, and the club open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Different societies, and Protestant churches in and around Brisbane, provide a fortnightly social, and no offer is ever refused to entertain the men. The members of the Church of England Help Society hold a “tea” every Sunday and provide all provisions. This function is extremely popular, and the attendance averages 270 soldiers. These forms of entertaining returned men have had a wonderful influence among men of previous uncertain character. They have wandered in, in the first instance, out of curiosity, but the kindness of the girls and women and the happy atmosphere of the club have attracted them again and again. Seeing that a certain respectability is expected of them, they have taken care to come sober and remain sober. The numbers of men who were apparently “lost” characters and who have reformed under the influence of the club is amazing. The women who worked up this movement, and who continue to give strenuous attention to the welfare of the club, are the source of more influence for good than they are yet aware. But the Anzac Club was not instituted as a house of reformation, nor is it run on any such lines. It is a rest home for the men who have done “their bit,” or who are going forth to fight for their country.

There is an ever-increasing demand for comforts for the men in the trenches. The Queensland Soldiers’ Comforts Depot in Parbury House has an army of women throughout Queensland working daily to supply those wants. But these women are in need of re-inforcements just as the soldiers in the trenches are in need of re-inforcements of men to-day. Those women who have immediate ties with men in the firing line have learnt of the soldiers’ delight in receiving additional comforts—they have also heard of the long hours spent midst wind, rain, mud and snow, when the soldiers’ only food was military rations, their only clothes—military equipment. Sufficient comforts have not been sent to the men. Additional socks, mufflers, mittens, Cardigan jackets, Balaclava caps, shirts, games, musical instruments, books, tinned fruits and milk are urgently needed. Surely the women of Queensland will not fail to make further and greater efforts to bring some gladness to the men fighting for us in France and Egypt.

The Anzacs who have returned from facing the hourly risk of death have a strange look in their eyes, and many, when sitting quietly smoking or resting, seem to be listening. One soldier was questioned: “You look as if you were listening all the time to something we can’t hear.” “Yes,” he said, “when I sit quietly I seem to hear the chaps in the trenches calling for me to come back.” The Anzac in question was well enough to do light military duty, but he felt that even he, after his strenuous work and severe wounds, should return and give the men a helping hand.

Can’t you hear, women of Queensland, the men in the trenches calling for extra comforts? Can’t you hear them saying, “If we had a few more pairs of socks and some extra warm clothing things wouldn’t be so bad. I wonder why the women don’t send us more things?” Those who have their women folk working here are unbounded in their gratitude for individual parcels. They also receive goods from the Soldiers’ Comforts Fund. But think of the men who have no friends or relations to work for them! They depend entirely on extra comforts to the Comforts Fund—and if there are not enough to go round there must be many a bitter thought.

But not so bitter as the thought of no reinforcements of men. Nor so bitter as the thought of extra risks, extra hours of suffering because the country they are fighting for refuses to assist them in their hour of need. Every extra man in the trenches lessens the casualty lists. Every extra comfort gives not only a glow of pleasure and hours of comparative ease, but encouragement. Writing from the trenches men say that when parcels arrive excitement is intense. It seems a voice from home, and for the nonce war and death are brushed aside. But the lonely soldier who receives no remembrances, not even slight acknowledgment of his sacrifices, must sometimes wonder if his country and countrymen and women are worth risking death for.

Although this club is now closed it will always live in the memory of the soldier who was a recruit during 1914-16. It provided a place of rest and amusement to thousands and thousands of soldiers, and the energetic band of women and men, who put their untiring energies into the club, are deserving of unstinted praise.

It was open every day, including Sunday, and there were always certain members of the women’s committees in attendance during the day, while both men and women were on duty at night, the club closing at 10 o’clock. The scheme was carried out on an extensive scale, and everything possible was done to make the club a comfortable rendezvous for the soldiers. The billiard tables were a great attraction, and stationery and other necessaries were supplied free of cost. A restaurant provided light refreshment, and all sorts of amusements were arranged to attract and interest the soldiers. Over a hundred letters were often received in one day for the men, and the reading and writing-rooms were a boon to the lonely country recruit. Many men left their personal belongings in the care of the committee, and these are stored ready for the owners to claim them on their return from the war. Socials, dances and entertainments were continually being held, and several musical instruments were always at the disposal of the men in the large lounge at the basement of the building. The White City, other attractions for the soldiers, and the fact that there were so few recruits in camp at the end of 1916, occasioned the closing of the club, and the women who worked so enthusiastically for the movement have since turned their energy into other patriotic channels.

RECRUITING READY-RECKONER
FOR MARRIED MEN PREPARED TO JOIN THE A.I.F.
“FOR HOME AND EMPIRE.”

In addition to the above there is 1/- per day deferred pay, amounting to £18/5/- per year, which the soldier draws in a lump sum on his return.

Then, again, a man has to remember that he is fed and clothed while in the A.I.F., which is, of course, a big item to consider.

Don’t forget, too, that the rates quoted above are for the PRIVATE.

Such a big proportion of the men enlisting in Queensland to-day are married men, that we thought it would be a good plan to state all the rates of pay and pensions clearly for their information.

There is no doubt that the single men are not coming forward as they should, and many married men are coming to the conclusion that there is only one thing to do—take up the sword themselves.

In Brisbane—Go to Adelaide Street Enlisting Depot (next to State School).

In the Country—Go to the nearest Town Clerk, or Shire Clerk, or Local Recruiting Committee, who will give you all the necessary instructions.

STATE RECRUITING COMMITTEE OF QUEENSLAND, Vice-Chairman: Col. Hon. A. J. THYNNE, V.D., M.L.C. G. M. DASH, Captain, State Organizing Secretary.

The small theatre at the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital has been removed to near the Recreation Hall at the gates, and converted into a workshop for the soldiers. A section of the sub-committee of hospitals took the matter in hand a few months ago, and a start was then made to teach convalescent men wood-carving, basket-making, toy-making, and other branches of handicraft. Some of the soldiers in Sydney, where a similar scheme has been in operation for some time, made from £2 a week upwards, and it is hoped that the movement will be of the same benefit to the men in Brisbane.

The result has been even more successful than anticipated. Basket-work, toys, poker-work, and small carpentry have already been made, and there are now some skilled workers among the soldiers. An exhibit which was recently shown in one of the shops in Queen-street, was the centre of an admiring and interested crowd, while a display of the work has also been arranged in the Red Cross Section at the Exhibition.

The proceeds of all articles sold are given to the individual soldiers who made them, minus the cost of the material. Orders have come in from all quarters, and the men have sufficient to keep them working until Christmas. A depôt, however, has been promised in the city, where all work made over and above the orders, will be exhibited and sold.

The spirit of the times has not failed to touch the budding womanhood of Queensland. In every school, whether public or private, girls will be found knitting industriously for soldiers. Indeed, it is no uncommon sight to see quite small children knitting in the trams and suburban trains, and the exhibitions of their work rank in quality with the exhibits of women during these years of war.

At displays of school work there is always a large section devoted to Red Cross efforts, and the mufflers, socks, “washers,” and Balaclava caps have been highly commended by expert needlewomen. In numerous ways children have assisted in providing materials and funds for the soldiers. Entertainments have been organised, and often talent discovered that would otherwise have lain dormant, the children showing unbounded enthusiasm for their work. They have also been encouraged to give small donations, such as having an “Egg Day” at the schools, when each child brings an egg to send to the Red Cross Kitchen. War will ever linger in the memory of the men and women of the coming generation. It has built a foundation of self-sacrifice and generosity such as no piping times of peace would have achieved.

It was a ladies’ committee that initiated the movement to establish a Residential Club in Brisbane for soldiers, and their efforts have been untiring since the first meeting was held on May 10th of last year. Combining with the Returned Soldiers’ Association they soon established a strong committee, the result is that the club is now ready for the soldiers, having been officially opened by His Excellency the Governor on the 11th of this month. The building, which is at the corner of Wharf and Ann streets, is a two-storey building and has every convenience for a comfortable club. Entertainments of all kinds have been organised in the cause of the Residential Club during the last year, the most notable being the Queen’s Carnival, which brought in an approximate result of £4,000. £11,000 will be required to clear the debt on the building, and so far over £7,000 has been collected or donated towards the fund.

The furniture, which is equal to that of any club in Brisbane, has been provided through the efforts of women on the Furnishing Committee, the Girls’ Clubs in Brisbane, St. Stephen’s Girls, and through the generosity of leading business firms in the city.

The club is under the management of the Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Association. It is proposed to run it on broad lines so that any returned soldier may feel that he has a club of his own in Brisbane. The best possible accommodation is provided, and the tariff is made sufficiently low to suit the average soldier’s means. It is intended to run the club on non-political and non-sectarian lines, and no evidence of the common bond of sympathy that exists for this movement could be more striking than the fact that men and women of all denominations and creeds have met together for the last year to enthusiastically further the project.

There has been no wheat grown in the Northern war areas of France for the last two years, but the poppies have come up just the same. The peasants believe that the scarlet flowers have sprung up where soldiers bled.

It would cheer the soldiers in France and Egypt if they could catch a glimpse of the scene enacted every day and all day in Isles-lane to provide comforts for soldiers fighting abroad. There in the Brisbane Club building, may be seen girls in dainty white frocks and frilly caps and aprons, cooking every day to supply the restaurant in the adjacent compartment. In the heat of summer they stood beside the stoves, and baked cakes and cut up sandwiches and luncheons to attend to the ever-increasing customers in the long tea room leading from the lane, and to-day they are as enthusiastic in their work as when the room first opened at the beginning of the year.

Until July the tea room was in the basement of the building, and on descending the wide steps from the lane, the first thoughts that struck the visitor were what a charming scene, what a bevy of pretty girls, and what a babble of tongues. The café is now situated on the ground floor, and at small tables, daintily arrayed with the picked blossoms from suburban and country gardens, are visitors from all parts of Brisbane. Soldiers in khaki, tired men, soldiers in the making and raw recruits, mingle with the civilian in mufti, while women in all their charm of pretty frocks and subtle femininity are there to amuse and be amused. From the far end a singer’s voice rises and the babble is subdued to a low murmur. Again an orchestra will break forth into melodious music, while all the time busily attending to the wants of their customers are girls in becoming white uniforms with their frilly aprons and mop caps.

This is no idle hobby. There is a manager, a cashier and a superintendent, who are in daily attendance at the café, while over 200 girls each give a day a week to either cooking in the kitchen or waiting in the restaurant. All this work is entirely voluntary. The proceeds are devoted to the Comforts Funds of the 9th and 49th Battalions, 9th Field Artillery and the 5th Light Horse, 10 per cent of the takings being donated to the Queensland Soldiers’ Comforts Fund. The committees of these various funds thought out the scheme and launched it as a venture. It has been an unqualified success, and they deserve all the profits they work for to send away to their men fighting abroad for the prestige of kith and kin.

Each battalion takes two days a week, and a member from that particular comforts fund is in charge of the working of the girls for that day. The offices of the manager, cashier and superintendent, however, are permanent, and have been held by the same members since the opening of the café. Two or three days a week the soldiers of the military band are given luncheon free, and it is a stirring scene to see them all file in after the recruiting meetings at the Post Office. Sometimes they play outside the lane, and from every office window along the lane and overlooking from Queen-street, listening business girls and men are craning to see the soldiers and listen to the delightful music of the band.

The café is an emblem of woman’s admiration for the man in khaki. No work is too great or too tiresome to express that hardly understood feeling of her’s for the soldier who risks his life for his country. And overshadowing the laughter and the music, the symbols of the soldier are ever present, for round the walls of the café are the glorious flags of the Empire: Australia, the 9th Battalion, 49th Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Brigade, and the 5th Light Horse.

Toys made at the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital.

Return of Wounded Soldiers.

On April 19th, 1915, a movement was started in Brisbane which has spread throughout the length and breadth of Queensland. It was the Queensland Soldiers’ Sock Fund, and since that date over 45,000 pairs of socks have been sent overseas to the soldiers, and considerably over £1,900 has been collected to buy wool. The depôt is situated in a large room behind the Queensland Foreign Mission Shop in Albert St. one of the Hon. Secretaries and a member of the committee being in attendance every day from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, to distribute wool and receive the knitted socks. Wool is given out to anyone who applies, the condition being that the socks made from such wool be brought into the depôt and sent away with the consignments from the Queensland Soldiers’ Sock Fund. The work has increased considerably, the returns being much greater this year than last year, and the largest number of socks yet sent away by the fund was contained in the last consignment, when 1,697 pairs were sent overseas.

The country branches work with the same enthusiasm as those in and around Brisbane, and parcels arrive daily from all parts of Queensland; between 300 and 400 pairs often being received at the one time. The school children are quite as enthusiastic as the women, and large parcels are sent from both the state and private schools, sums of money also being collected and handed over to the fund to purchase wool.

Every fortnight the socks are packed in cases at the depot and passed on to the Queensland Patriotic Fund, who store them until space is found for transport overseas. There is an ever increasing demand for socks, and the members who have worked so consistently for over two years, never flag in their interest. Apart from the many individual knitters in Brisbane, there are 300 women who contribute regularly to this particular fund, and they are just as keen to make socks to-day as they were two years ago, when the urgent need of socks, and still more socks, was recognised. That need has not lessened, indeed, it has increased.

Queensland Red Cross Motor Waggon.

A meeting of women delegates from the different Comforts’ Funds in Brisbane met some months ago at the invitation of the Returned Soldiers’ and Patriots’ National Political League, to establish a home for returned soldiers who are cripples or nervous wrecks. Several difficulties arose, however, in the starting of a complete new fund, and the matter has since been taken up by the Red Cross Society. It has been decided by the members to establish two homes for returned wounded soldiers. One for advanced consumptives and the other for men who are physically incapable of earning their living. The movement is as yet in its infancy, but when the Red Cross Society have taken the matter in hand there is every reason to have full confidence in the homes being established. They will be of inestimable benefit to men made physical wrecks through the horrors of war; and doubtless, it is only a matter of bringing the fact before the public to receive support from all parts of the community.

A Section of the Red Cross Kitchen in Brisbane, where delicacies are made for Sick and Wounded Soldiers.

Day in and day out, for the last two years, the women of the Red Cross Kitchen have served a tea to the inmates of the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital. In addition, three times a week, an excellent menu has been sent out to the camp hospitals, convalescent detail hospital, Lytton, Rosemount, Wattlebrae, and extra supplies given to the Kangaroo Point Hospital, while men at Goodna, the Diamantina, or wherever sick soldiers are stationed, are regularly supplied with delicacies. It needs no stretch of imagination to realise the work this entails. The kitchen, which is situated opposite the Customs House, is a long room, with stores on shelf above shelf on the right-hand side, while to the left are the stoves, ice-chests, and other necessities for preparing the supplies; all the fittings having been made by the men’s auxiliary, who work in the basement.

The sight of the women, in their white uniforms and caps, working busily every day and all day behind the large windows with the sign of the Red Cross, has almost ceased to attract the attention of the passerby, and yet there is a retinue of 70 helpers who carry out this work consistently, each member having her regular hours and regular days for assisting. And all the work is voluntary. Through the heat of two summers and the varied weather of winter they have worked untiringly peeling potatoes, cutting up salads, making scones and cakes, and cooking tempting morsels for the sick and wounded men. In addition, they have prepared and served the suppers at Kangaroo Point for the returned soldiers on the night of their return.

The stores, vegetables and foodstuffs are supplied gratis by the various branches of the Red Cross, men (particularly the men of the markets) and women who are interested in the work so excellently carried out, and school children who send in regular supplies of eggs, milk and other foodstuffs. Some idea of the work done by the “cooks” is realized by a visit to the kitchen during the day. There, scones are being made, fruit salads cut up, potatoes peeled, and vegetables, curries, poultry and puddings prepared. The rows of home-made jam are the result of a day’s work, while again pickles and chutneys are also stored ready for the use of the soldier. Sometimes 14 fowls will be received from one well-wisher in the country. These must all be plucked and dressed straight away, and are put in cold storage until required. There is not an idle moment for the workers, and towards evening or at mid-day the delicacies are packed and taken by the Red Cross Motor to the various destinations. There are three gas stoves and two gas rings in use, and many people who understand and appreciate the work have added other conveniences for the cooking. The helpers are so particular that the work should be entirely voluntary that they even pay for meals served to them during the day. This work is carried out by about 30 girls, who serve the meals and do all the washing up. The kitchen has been so widely recognised as an institution of essential value, that the “cooks” are assisted by the military authorities, who provide two soldiers every day to help with the heavy work. The soldiers, nurses and doctors are full of gratitude to these Red Cross workers. And, indeed, they have been untiring in their efforts, and unselfish with both their time and their energy, to be of service to the soldiers.

Nurse Cavell.

It might be safely said that there is not a street in or around Brisbane, in which there are not women working in one way or another for the men in khaki. Leisure hours are given to sewing, knitting, or arrangements for “days,” fétes and other entertainments whereby money may be gathered in for the welfare of the soldiers in the trenches, in the hospitals, on leave, or discharged from duty.

The working girls, no less than those of the leisure classes, have given of their time and money, and it is no uncommon occurrence for the employees of large drapery and other establishments to arrange concerts, river picnics and entertainments to provide either the furniture for a room in the Residential Club, or some other gift for a patriotic cause.

Apart from the Red Cross Society, the Queensland Soldiers’ Comforts Fund and other well-known patriotic centres, there are many circles and guilds and individual women who work for or entertain the Queensland soldier. Some idea of the work the women are doing is realized when it is considered that, in the Red Cross alone, each of the 31 Brisbane branches averages a membership of from 50 to 100 women. In addition to the Societies formed entirely for patriotic work, there are at least 17 different sewing guilds attached to independent institutions.

Among these centres is the Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institution, the members of which make quantities of shirts and socks, their work being particularly neat and well finished. The students of the Queensland University, the Technical College, and the women of the Mutual Service Club also make garments and knitted articles for the men, while the girls of the Y.W.C.A. have given wonderful contributions considering that the majority of their time is taken up with earning their living. Not only have they become a sub-branch of the Red Cross Society, and donated gifts regularly to the Queensland Soldiers’ Comforts Fund, but they have given of their earnings as well. Each girl gives what she can afford weekly, a penny, threepence, or whatever the sum may be, and during the last year they collected over £60 for various patriotic organisations.

The Church of England Soldiers’ Help Society have been working energetically almost from the commencement of the war. It was the members of this Society who organised and established the Anzac Club in Charlotte-street, and this is by no means the only channel of their work. Twice a week members go out to the camp and mend the soldiers’ clothes. They have a tent, and the Soldiers’ Hut (which is another result of their efforts) where they receive damaged garments and darn, patch and mend them ready for use again. A scheme to relieve the anxiety of relatives of soldiers who are wounded has been of inestimable comfort to many mothers and fathers in Queensland. The Society keep in touch with a chaplain in England, who visits and issues cards to the wounded men in hospitals in England. The men fill the cards in, stating their wounds, their circumstances, name, etc., and these are sent out to Queensland, and they are then distributed to the relatives by the Society. In this way many parents have been able to trace their sons, particularly boys who ran away from home to enlist, and who have failed to keep in touch with their relatives.

Many women’s societies and clubs regularly entertain the men in camp, organizing concerts, while the work of individual women in the interests of soldiers has been beyond praise. Among other centres of patriotic activity, the following churches, institutions and societies also have energetic sewing guilds:—Queensland Women’s Electoral League, Stephens’ Girls’ League, Mitson Haseldene Sewing Circle, Holy Trinity Sewing Circle, Heralds of the King, The Spiritual Soldiers’ Aid, City Tabernacle, St. Peter’s Guild (West End), Salvation Army, Nurses at Central Hospital, Vulture St. Baptist Church, and a 60 Sewing Circle.

Through the portals of modern times woman has met this great conflict of nations warring with nations with a calm strength and patience. And she has set up a shrine in the activities of her house—a shrine that is a spirit of service to the soldier.

When peace first spread her wings to take flight across seas and continents, she left woman standing on the brink of war with reluctant and uncertain feet. No woman in any period of the world’s history ever faced the colossal task that the women of 1914 faced three years ago. Into the domestic trend of their lives came the shadows of battle and strife and death, and they waved goodbye to their sons, brothers, and lovers, with a vague feeling that they had gone forth to meet danger, and it was for their country. Then came battle news and casualty lists, and the doubting fears broke into grief and sorrow and daily anxiety, from which emerged an unfathomable reverence for the man who will die for his country.

It was then that the full significance of the soldier really dawned on woman in general, and with characteristic femininity she sought to express her reverence for these men in unbounded service to their needs. Nor has that service diminished—rather has it increased.

No man will ever realise the feeling a woman has for the man who goes forth to fight for his country, his womenfolk and the weak. Life is such a precious thing. Women know this too well. So many of them have lingered near the edges of that undiscovered country and known the joy of regaining the shores of Life. So that when a man voluntarily risks his life to defend all that is precious to him, he becomes almost a demi-god in her mind. Her sons seem to have grown something almost too precious. She exists in a daily imagery of their lives, and when they fall in battle something of their great courage seems to be reflected within her. She meets her loss with such a knowledge of the honor of his death that she is fortified with a strange new armor. Girls who grew up with their brothers, and looked on them just as their “brothers,” are at times overwhelmed with the magnitude of what these boys have done and are doing. And from a world of tennis, dances, pleasures, and peace-time sorrows, they have traversed into the great arena of service.

And what an arena it is! From the lowest to the highest rung on the social ladder, from the tropic lands of the North to the wheat grown fields of the Downs, from the out-back stations of the West to the Pacific, women have arisen to do honour to the man in khaki. She who must needs work to earn her daily bread spends her leisure moments in knitting or sewing. She who has lived in the midst of household duties and home cares, gives what hours she may spare—and often, what she is unable to spare—to Red Cross activities, comforts for the men in the trenches, or to practical work to augment the funds of some particular patriotic institution. For these works are not temporary works, they are institutions, institutions built on the foundations of self-sacrifice, and they will outlive many a granite building in the memory of future generations. The society woman—the butterfly—has been one of the surprises of the war. Out of her chrysalis she has come and put aside her life of luxury to do homage to this demi-god in khaki. What matter whether he was her gardener or her lover yesterday—he is a soldier to-day, and as such she will give him homage.

Transporting Wounded Soldiers from Gallipoli.

Any afternoon in the week, except Saturday and Sunday, between the hours of two and five o’clock, the Mutual Service Club may be seen in full working order on the top floor of Moon’s Building, Adelaide Street. This club is for the relatives, particularly the wives and children, of men at the front. There are two large rooms available for the club, and they are always well patronised by the wives and children of soldiers. Primarily it is a society of mutual service, and the committee who organised and keep up the club endeavour to assist wherever help is wanted. The women of Brisbane who have time and means do not give their energy to the soldier alone, for they realise that in helping his wife and children they are indirectly doing him invaluable service.

The room is always a centre of interested women and happy children. There are many diversions for the soldiers’ wives, and the children are provided with toys and picture books. A Red Cross Circle provides one interest, while once a week cooking or sewing demonstrations are given and entertainments are arranged whenever possible.

Two members of the committee are on duty every day, and afternoon tea and biscuits are provided for 2d. The subscriptions are 1s. a year for club members, 2s. 6d. for committee members, and 5s. associate members, the latter being practically annual donations for the upkeep of the club, while the shilling subscription is given by the soldier’s wife who wishes to obtain the privileges of the club.

The privileges are many, for wherever help is needed the Hon. Secretary attends personally to the want. Professional men have been exceedingly generous to members, and there are several doctors and chemists who practically give their services free, while even legal advice is tendered to those in need free of charge. The latter help is required more often than the general public think, for there are many times when a woman feels utterly at a loss in the tangles of the law. When a soldier’s wife is confronted with legal or other difficulties, she will always find assistance at the Mutual Service Club. Jumble sales are also held, and quite a large sum has been made by the members from a small stall at which remnants, supplied by the shops, are sold. Proceeds from this stall purchased a clock for the camp hospital at Enoggera last year, and the profits are always of use to the committee. Sometimes money is advanced to women who are in needy circumstances, and, indeed, whenever anyone is in distress, endeavors are made to alleviate the trouble.

The club has been in existence for over two years, and the women who initiated the step towards its establishment must feel exceedingly gratified at the success achieved.

Flight from Antwerp.

Raemaeker.

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