On This Day, 4 February 1918

Birmingham Daily Post

Monday 4 February 1918

WOMEN’S WAR WORK

BISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM’S TRIBUTE

There was a church parade of the Birmingham branch of the Women’s Volunteer Reserve at the Cathedral yesterday. About 200 members of the force, together with a detachment of the cycle corps, assembled at Thorp Street Barracks, and after being inspected by Lieutenant-Colonel (Mrs.) Sutherland, marched to the Cathedral headed by the Police Band.

An address was given by the Bishop of Birmingham, who said they had been told that the war found for large numbers their opportunity in life, that whereas previously many were living a desultory and uncertain existence, not quite knowing what they wanted to do, the war had enabled them, as it were, to focus themselves upon some great and useful work. He thought that was true in regard to a very large number of women, especially those who were living at home and had no regular occupation. In former years in the West End in London it was a common thing for him to hear from the lips of daughters of large households that there was nothing they seemed able to do, and they were not required in the home for this or that purpose. They frittered a good deal of their time away, not because they wanted to do so, but because nothing stood out for them to do. Now, however, he thought it would be fair to say that one hardly knew any members of such families who were not engaged in some kind of useful work. The war offered a special opportunity to womanhood, and as the result a curious argument was brought forward in regard to giving women the vote. It was said repeatedly that because women had done so well in the war they should be given the vote. That to him was a fallacious argument, because he thought the experience of the war had only proved that the confidence of those who had been claiming the vote had been justified. The members of the Women’s Volunteer Reserve, with others of their sex, were at this time in the country’s history doing something as part of the great machinery of righteousness, but even when the war was over the opportunities were going to be immense; women in some capacity or other would have to be doing as real work for their country as they were to-day.  Referring to the party of nurses from a local hospital who were on the Aragon when she torpedoed, the Bishops said he happened to know that the way in which they and others from other hospitals behaved on that occasion helped many soldiers who were killed to die with a smile on their lips and with a cheer for the women who showed such heroism. They were simple folk, just ordinary, everyday, good women, and he would personally rather have that power by his own sacrifice to strengthen others than many qualities which some people perhaps admired more.