Among the Beavers
Canadians and Others
--------
Being a personal narrative of the work done by the "Military" Women Police in and around the Beaver Hut in the Strand, London.
By
G. Lilian King.
September, 1919.
[...] good (nice) so I said, I'm looking out for a nice little British girl to take back to Canada with me." She said, 'I'm pleased to hear that, you could not do better." Then I winked at her and said some more trivial little things. She went away with the dishes and another lady came up and told me I had been talking to the Princess Alice. My goodness! I had a fright, I thought the door would open and an escort come in and march me out 'to be shot at dawn! I apologised to the Princess and she was quite nice about it. She's all right, sure!"
The Great War has done much for England in breaking down somewhat the once almost insurmountable barrier of class distinction, and perhaps, in no place has this been more clearly demonstrated than in the Beaver Hut! Royalty, titled ladies and business women, all wearing the same pretty blue uniform and overall and veil, worked unceasingly and unselfishly side by side, united in one common cause - the welfare of the fighting man. One such, just returned from the trenches, sat the whole of the evening in the Canteen just for the pleasure of watching the 'blue' ladies at work. During the time he consumed twelve cups of tea, for, as he explained, "I had to have some excuse for sitting there so long."
I should like to pay tribute here to the Women's Voluntary Service League, composed entirely of business girls who gave up their evenings and week-ends to work in the various buffets and canteens for Service men. [...]
[page 21] [...] we did not take it.
Here, then is an outline of our duties;-
Constant patrolling of the Hut inside and out to see that the Regulations were kept and to guard against petty pilfering, etc. Illustration;-
"It was 5 a.m. I was making my usual rounds; all was correct until I reached the Kitchen premises, and there I heard a peculiar thumping noise; band, bang-bang, bang, thump! I hurried through to where the boiler was situated just over the shop in the Lounge. Here the noise was terrific. I ran up to the Hall and called the Night Officer - the boiler, quick! He dashed downstairs to turn on the bathroom taps en route to the boiler-house to rake out the fire, and my colleague did the same with the hot water taps in the kitchen, etc. We noticed that the cold water supply was not feeding the tank as usual. Presently, it started to flow again; then began our troubles afresh, for the water was pouring down through the Shop and out into the Lounge. More excitement! We summoned the Canteen Superintendent, who came with four of her staff armed with mops, brushes, etc. We unlooked [i.e. unlocked] the Shop and started salvage operations. The goods were in stacks along the side of the wall and already the first layers were under water. However, the woman attended to the water and we attended to the goods. Soon we had piles of melting wet chocolate, sodden matches and cigarettes all around us. Then C. and I proceeded to sort out the dry from the wet, which performance took us well over an hour. Finally, we locked up, [page 22] and left the premises with the goods neatly arranged in the following order on 'dry land': "Not damaged". "Slightly damaged". "Damaged". But when the shop was opened a few hours later, the lady, not knowing what had gone before, received rather a shock upon seeing the disorder of her very - up to that moment - orderly store, and vaguely wondered if there had been a burglary, earthquake, or what!! Never for one minute realising that, if she but knew, that apparent disorder, for once signified Law and Order!!!"
Finding lodgings for soldiers, their wives and relations:-
"Miss S. came to me one day saying: "Sergeant, we've had a telephone message from the Workhouse at --- stating that there is a Canadian woman with three children there. I've arranged for her to come to the Hut, and I should like you to see her if you will." She duly arrived at the Hut with the family and I interviewed her. It seems that she had been turned out of her lodgings, as the people wanted the extra accommodation and she could not get in anywhere else for the time being, because London was so crowded. Now the problem arose as to what [underlined: we] were to do with the family for the night. However, after some hours' delay, during which time I applied to various well-known Institutions and Organizations, without success, - I finally succeeded in getting a room for her in a Y.W.C.A. Miss S. thereupon undertook to pilot the family there with the assistance of a young Canadian who volunteered [page 23] to carry one of the children. Their destination was some distance away in North London. Miss S. returned to tell me that she had seen them safely to the house and she added, "I saw young G-- slip a note into the mother's hand "for the kiddies". I discovered that it was his last ₤1 note and he leaves to-night for France!
The next day my colleague and I spent hours in trying to get them lodgings and finally succeeded in getting them into a Home. We returned to the Hut at 9 p.m. tired and hungry, for we had not time to eat between the hops and the trots."
Settling disputes:-
"About 11 p.m. a man came up to us and complained that another man had taken possession of his bed, and that he refused to get out of it or show his bed ticket. He turned to Sergt. C. imploringly: "I cannot find anyone in authority who will come and see to the matter. Will you come and demand his ticket? I'm sure he will show it to you." Sergt. C. went down to the dormitory. The offender at once produced his bed ticket, which proved that he was in the wrong bed owing to his having mistaken the number 3 for 5. Sergt. C. thereupon suggested that the rightful owner of the then occupied bed should have the unoccupied one, pointing out that it was much nice to get into a clean, fresh bed than into a warm rumpled one. To this the contending parties both agreed and 'Peace' reigned once again."
Chapter IX
The Hut Sister
[page 78] I should not think my story complete if I omitted to mention a picture that comes before my mind's eye, even as I write. It is this. In a corner of the Lounge there is a small writing-desk, and seated at it there is to be seen a little lady in a grey Y.M.C.A. uniform with silver Maple leaves on the lapels of the tunic, one on either side and a similar one on her hat. She is a Canadian and known in the hut officially as the 'Hut Sister', but the 'boys' call her their 'Temporary Mother and Permanent Friend'. There she is to be found daily to talk, or write, to them and to do little odd jobs for them, such as sewing on chevrons and visiting them in hospital. The extent of her far-reaching activities will never be known by the world at large, for she makes no report of her doings, and hundreds [page 79] of mothers Over-Seas will have cause to be eternally grateful to this quiet little worker who has done so much for their boys.
The following little anecdote will reveal somewhat the nature of her work.
One day this 'Temporary Mother' was seated in the Little Theatre sewing some chevrons on a boy's tunic, laughing and chatting to him as she did so. A young Canadian passed along and noticed the two - he had recently come 'on leave' and he was feeling horribly lonely. He wanted so much to talk to a woman, but he was very shy and could not summon up enough courage to speak to this little countrywoman of his. Suddenly, he was struck with a bright though - he walked rapidly out of the Hut. A few minutes later he returned, and in his hand was a button off his tunic. He went up to Miss S. and shyly asked her to sew the button on for him. She at once assented, and in a few moments they were in deep conversation. A long time after, when the two were firm friends, he told her that he went out of the Hut on that particular day to cut out a button off his tunic, so that he could have a reasonable excuse for speaking to her. He was only one of the many homesick and lonely men.
As I passed her corner in the Lounge on Christmas Day, I was attracted by the tokens of appreciation and love that were to be seen on the desk - beautiful flowers, photos, cards, and letters galore from her boys both far and near.
