WVS/WRVS Bulletin/Magazine This copy of the WVS/WRVS Bulletin/Magazine has been downloaded from the Royal Voluntary Service Archive & Heritage Collection online catalogue. This copy is distributed under a CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) Creative Commons licence. This work is copyright © Royal Voluntary Service 1939-2015 or third party contributors (where credited on individual articles). You can find more information on the WVS/WRVS Bulletin/Magazine and the digitisation project on our webpage www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/bulletin Any enquiries regarding use of the material contained in this copy, not covered by the Creative Commons licence, or the principals of fair dealing should be directed in the first instance to: [email protected] Public sector information in the WVS/WRVS Bulletin/Magazine is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government- licence/version/3/ Registered office: ROYAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE, Beck Court, Cardiff Gate Business Park, Cardiff, CF23 8RP. Registered charity no. 1015988 & SC038924, Registered in England 2520413 W.V.S. BULLETIN S OME of the 1,000 food parcels given by the American Air Force base at Manston to RamsgateW .V.S. Centre for distributing to deserving people. In the photograph PRICE 3d. (left to right) are Miss Howell, Mr. Minter, Miss Burnett, Deputy C.O., Mrs. Kemp, C.O., and Mrs. Glesby. This was FEBRUARY, 1955 only one of many gifts from American personnela ll partsin N o. 182 of the country which W.V.S. were asked to distribute. Photograph by courtesy of Bernard Plane, Ramsgate. W.V.S. Number 182 February, 1955 BULLETIN Annual Subscription 2s: 6d. (Incorporating The News Letter) (Official Journal of Women’s Voluntary Service for Civil Defence) 41 TOTHILL STREET, S.W.1 - - Telephone: Whitehall 7383 Patron : H.M. T h e Q u e e n President: H.M. Q u e e n E l iz a b e t h t h e Q u e e n M o t h e r Chairman : T h e D o w a g e r M a r c h io n e s s o f R e a d in g , G.B.E. Vice-Chairmen : T h e D o w a g e r L a d y H il l in g d o n , D.B.E., C o u n t e ss A l ex a n d e r o f T u n is , G.B.E. Chairman for Scotland : L a d y M a c C o l l IN THIS ISSUE No Lim it ............................................. 3 Newsletter: Alexis Soyer................ 10 From You to U s................................. 4 From Here and There ........................ 15 Flash of the Year................................. 4 From the Centres................................. 17 Your Ideas on Window Display ....... 4 Pictures Those Christmas Cards .................... 5 Food Parcels ..................................... Cover C.D. Canvassing................................. 6 Southport W.V.S. “ At Home ” ....... 5 “ A Time to Sew ” ............................ 7 Portslade Work Party........................ 7 The Floods ......................................... 7 Soyer Boiler in 1854 ............................ 10 Travels with a Trolley Shop........... 9 Soyer Boilers in 1954 ........................ 11 At the Docks......................................... 9 Rugby Birthday Party........................ 18 NO L IM IT “ AS I am no longer a member of reading the Bulletin with intense interest W.V.S. I presume I can no longer and admiration,” and, from a Columnist in enjoy the Bulletin ” wrote a subscriber a Canadian newspaper: “ One of the bright recently. “ May I have the Bulletin ?” monthly arrivals at my desk is your W.V.S. asked a W.V.S. member, who thought that Bulletin. I may always be certain of only Organisers and Administrators could finding an item or two to pass on to my subscribe. We were able to give direct readers.” So, you see, it is worth while answers in these two cases, but we wonder making this small magazine widely known, if other people who would like to have the even worth paying the modest yearly Bulletin think that it is restricted to active subscription to ensure that a friend in W.V.S. or even to only some of them. another country or here at home is kept That, of course, is not the case. Everyone in touch month by month with the work who is interested in what the Service does in which you are taking part. is welcome to read, and we hope enjoy, the Bulletin. The Editor The letter from a former W.V.S. worker As we go to press (on the day following on page 4 shows that she has the right the disaster in which the York to Bristol idea—of getting the younger generation train was derailed) we learn that W.V.S. interested in our activities. And we have were working throughout last night in plenty of evidence that the Bulletin is two waiting rooms at Sutton Coldfield appreciated overseas too. Here are station providing meals for rescue workers. extracts from two letters that have reached They had set up Soyer boilers borrowed us lately : “ You may like to know that a from the Food Flying Squad and were friend of mine in New Zealand has been using a mobile canteen to fetch supplies. 3 From You to Us This Month’s Good Idea other W.V.S. Centre where both the “ O NE of our members who helps with Organiser and her Deputy are County our Trolley shop service at St. Magistrates, or if we are unique in this Mark’s Hospital, Maidenhead, was very respect ?” Ethel B. M. Moore, C.O. curious to know what an old lady of ninety Eastleigh, Hants. did with the quantities of large safety pins which she asked for practically each time the ‘ shop ’ came round. On en­ Flash of the Year quiry our member was told by the old lady that as she spent so much of her time CONGRATULATIONS to Padding- making fancy articles, she stitched a ton Borough, whose Flash for Novem­ safety pin to each piece of material on which ber 1954 was considered by impartial she was working ; then when any piece judges (including Lady Reading) to be slipped off her bed she used a large magnet the best of the year. For the benefit of which attracted the safety pin and drew it new readers we repeat it here : with the material attached up from the “ A member visiting the doctor’s floor, and so she need not worry the nurses surgery was in uniform. While in the to come and retrieve the fallen article.” waiting room a harrassed G.P. looked in, M. Pitcher, Maidenhead. saw the W.V.S. member and asked, ‘ Can you cope with looking out files ?’ A Word of Encouragement An hour later she entered the surgery. ‘ Gosh,’ said the doctor, ‘ I apologise, “ W HAT a grand idea it was to have but I was hours behind and am only a those little gift cards enclosed in locum. In the hospital I’ve just left we the Bulletins before Christmas. Thank had two W.V.S. who did cope, and so you for them. have you! Do you want a regular job ?’ ” I am an old W.V.S., rather crippled The runners up were Bristol County with arthritis, but still on the look out how Borough (December issue) and Cornwall to be helpful. Had my eye on a couple of County (October issue). young ladies who would make good troopers, so sent them each a gift issue. I had a letter from one of them who is a reporter on the local newspaper saying Your Ideas on how she appreciated the copies already received. Window Display May I say in all humility that there is NLY seven between you! Best not a place even for ‘ also rans,’ by giving a O work that out to a decimal point to word of encouragement to young members show what is the average fraction of an and a word of praise for a job well done, idea per W.V.S. member. Better to also the smoothing out of ruffled tempers. remember how extremely busy each If after being active one can take a back W.V.S. is—and to thank the seven who seat and do these minor offices, there is managed to squeeze in (or out) that one still that lovely feeling of happiness in the more job of responding to an appeal to job.” “ C lem .” pool brainwaves for the good of the whole service. Two of the seven suggestions may Two Magistrates in one Centre have been tried out in the Tothill Street “ M y Deputy here, Mrs. E. K. M. window by the time this Bulletin is in Laurie, was appointed a County print. The others, with the exception of Magistrate last week, and as I myself one that lacks originality, we hope to adapt. have now been one since January 1953, we Names of senders and further details will should rather like to know if there is any be published later. 4 Those Christmas Cards TH E Post Office, we are told, handled over 704,000,000 letters and cards in transit this last Christinas. No wonder then that many of the recipients, loth to throw away the often beautiful or amusing tokens of goodwill, seek some further use for them. W.V.S. Centres know only too well how eagerly the public acted on advice given them in the press! Here, however, is a way in which the cards can be put to very good use—by taking part in a W.V.S.