Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-09-23 | Page 9 | Army of Women Growing in Britain

NW Of III OfflillBffll Number of "Skirted War- riors" Is to Be Largely Increased at Once. DOING GOOD WORK Every Effort Being Made to Eliminate Feeling of Class Distinction. ?y International News Service. LONDON, Sept. 22. Great Britain ts a riding to her army of women soldiers. The experiment of sending- members of the fair sex to ffrance for auxiliary work behind the front has turned out so well i that the number of ekirted warriors t (rather warriors' aids) will be largely .n-jjf .n-jjf eased. - Of a large number of young women AT Bent to France about three months ago, only three have been returned home, and these rather from stupidity than for willful will-ful disobedience. On the whole, the trial has proved a magnificent success. The girls wear uniurm and are commanded com-manded bv women, the latter having their rank Indicated Quite fittingly by shoulder badges of roses and fieurs-de-lys. Details of the work of the women's army are contained In an army council instruction, which states that the object of the corps is lo effect substitution of women for soldiers in certain employ-ments employ-ments at home, at the bases and on the lines of communication overseas. Relieving Soldiers. Except in the cases where the employment employ-ment of a soldier wouM otherwise have been of ficiallv authorized, no woman cf the corps will be employed unless a soldier sol-dier is thereby relieved for other purposes. pur-poses. At home the women will gradually be introduced into command, garrison and regimental employments, the last including includ-ing oft leers' and sergeants' mess clerks, tailors, cooks, librarians, company store-men, store-men, shoemakers, quartermasters' store-men store-men and orderlies. Eventaully, however, women will be substituted, in the ratio oi three women to four men. in the following employ-ments, employ-ments, both at home and overseas: I Clerks ; Storehouse women, Librarians j checkers, pack- Accountants ers and unskilled Typists 1 labor Short hand -typists ! Messengers Cooks Shoemakers Wine Waitresses leakers Whi tresses I Telephone and fc Eutlers postal services - Domestic work 'Miscellaneous ser- Motor transport vices service J Technical women Tailors " j (with motor Sewers transport) i Many Live at Home. When circumstances permit, women on certain duties may live at home; other-jt other-jt wie, both In this' country and abroad, tjft bey will live in billets and hostels. jfto They will have a uniform allowance, Vs which will provide them with a serviceable ser-viceable outfit, consisting of a great-coat of army pattern, a khaki -colored coat frock, stockings, shoes, leggings and brown felt hat. The higher grades will wear khaki coat and skirt. Shoulder straps, inset with color, will denote- the various sections blue lor f those on the headquarters and orange for the administrators. Members of the domestic domes-tic section have scarlet shoulder straps; clerical, brown; mechanical, claret; miscellaneous, mis-cellaneous, purple. The badge of the corps is a laurel wreath surrounding the initials W.' A. A. C, and this will be "worn by all women In the corps. In the hostels all women of the corps 4 below the grade corresponding to army officers are treated in exactly the same way. There Is no feeling of class distinction. Maintaining Equity. - The cook earning $130 a year, for the social purposes of the corps, is on an equality with the shorthand-typist who earns 59.37 a week. Every endeavor Is . made to allow friends to be togother as ' much as possible. When off duty the women will have a good deal of liberty, and the discipline will not be irksome. They must wear their, uniforms on all occasions. There are certain restrictions regarding admission admis-sion to cafes and estamlnets in France, but the administrator may sanction invitations in-vitations to men to the public recreation j rooms of the hostels. " All women joining the corps will be required to sign a form of enrollment for a year or the duration of the war, whichever Is the longer. The minimum ago for service at home will be eighteen and for srvice overseas twenty.