Typists. stenographers, clerks and office assistants carry on their duties in London much he same as in Shanghai. but with many unexpected distractions, At fire-fighting duty everyone at Home has to take part.
The following letter from one of London's lady workers, who has to earn her own living in the City. makes an excellent picture of the ally routine of London life between air-raids.
"This being my fire fighting duty night at the office I thought it a good opportunity to get a letter off to you. I only do the duty once a fortnight and we are on from 6 p.m. to 6 am. If, however. everything is fairly quiet, even though an alert may ye ea, we are able to go to bed and the roof spotter calls us up if we are required to go to our stations. We have tea when work finishes and then test out the stirrup pumps and see that we have all equipment ready. We may then do a little gas mask drill, and after that we can play table tennis. read or knit or whatever like as long as we are ready for call.
Mr, Caldicott has had wireless fitted up in the shelters in which we sleep. so it 's all quite comfortable. I am glad to say that we have not had any incidents, and hope trot state will continue.
"I am on the reserve at home for fire fighting duties. but there is meeting on Saturday and I daresay then I shall be put on the rota to take my fair share. There are so narly people away round us (in our road which has twelve houses there is only the old lady next door beside Mother and myself) that they are short of helpers and so it is only fair for me 49 do my whack. If there is an alert you have to walk up and dawn the roads for two hours, and if incendiaries drop you deal with them; or if there are many. call the folk up. I think the 2 to 4 am. watch is the most difficult. I had that one last week. and as there was no alert on I did not have to go out. but it would be much easier to keep awake outside than sitting up inside. looking at the bed an longing to get in.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.