The Times Great War Letters: Correspondence during the First World War. James Owen
soldiers hiding in Occupied Belgium.
MOURNING CLOTHES
17 August 1914
SIR,—IF THE COUNTRY should decide to dispense with such mourning the economic effect will be to save a disturbance of cash expenditure. Mourning will still be bought for those who die natural deaths. But we should have a huge additional and artificial expenditure, temporarily inflated by the heavy death-toll of the next few weeks; and the money so saved will be available for the support of ordinary trade.
MRS. EDWARD LYTTELTON
The war’s heavy death toll ended the expensive Victorian ritual of mourning expressed through gradual changes of clothing.
EMPLOYMENT OR RELIEF
18 August 1914
SIR,—WILL YOU ALLOW me to raise my voice on behalf of the many women workers who are being rapidly thrown out of employment by this tremendous inrush of well-meant but short-sighted voluntary work?
The matter is one which has already received her Majesty’s serious attention, and also that of the council of Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild. It has also been the subject of a few broad hints on the part of our leading newspapers. But still the inrush continues, the tide of voluntary work still rises, and is already beginning to swamp the vast hosts of needy women who depend on their skill or their handiwork for bread for themselves and their little ones.
There are three points which I would like to place before all those who at the present moment are throwing themselves so whole-heartedly and so injudiciously into this veritable vortex of voluntary assistance.
1 Have they thought out the fact that by all that voluntary work—typing, secretarial, nursing, as well as needlework, they are creating the very evil which they are preparing to relieve later on—namely, unemployment?
2 Have they thought out the fact that every garment sewn or knitted by an amateur is so much bread taken out of the mouth of a poor seamstress?
3 Have they thought that it would be a far finer and more patriotic thing to deny themselves the pleasure of working and sewing parties and to use their local funds for purchasing made garments from their local outfitters or giving out the work to their needy sisters?
The purchase of certain descriptions of ready-made garments has almost entirely ceased in some small country towns. The small drapery dealers will very soon have to shut up their establishments or in any case greatly reduce them, and thus one of the many channels through which the poor seamstress, the shop assistant, the clerk earns her precarious livelihood will be closed to her, and presently she will have to be relieved out of the local fund or left to starve if she is too proud to ask for relief.
She would be far happier in earning her bread to-day than in accepting relief from any fund later on.
I am, Sir, yours faithfully,
EMMUSKA ORCZY
A PROTEST AGAINST SECRECY
5 September 1914
SIR,—YOUR CORRESPONDENT MR. Charles Whibley is obviously not interested in the lives of sons and husbands at the front. As one who comes from a fighting family of many generations and who has three sons in France to-day, I cannot too strongly express the dislike of the present secret methods felt by all whose dear ones are opposing the German hordes. We want no revelation of military secrets, but we would like to know the kind of life being led by our kith and kin, and we strongly object to the abandonment of the British tradition of the publication of generals’ dispatches. At the time of writing we have received practically nothing from Sir John French, except through Lord Kitchener’s statement of last Sunday.
Your obedient servant,
A FATHER
LADY FRENCH’S APPEAL
11 September 1914
SIR,—WILL YOU ALLOW me, through the medium of your columns, to convey my gratitude to those who have responded so generously to my appeal for socks and other comforts for the troops? I have received many contributions of money, which I am spending on wool, flannel, &c., and also on employing some women (who are out of employment in consequence of the war) to knit and to make garments. Some ladies who are very kindly helping me have collected a small fund for providing a substantial mid-day dinner and tea for these workers, which in many cases is their chief or only meal; and Messrs. Harrods have most kindly placed a room at my disposal for the women to work in. I shall still be most grateful for any further help.
Yours faithfully,
ELEONORA FRENCH
GREATCOATS FOR SOLDIERS
19 September 1914
SIR,—I HAVE BEEN told on most excellent authority that 200,000 of our newly-raised Army are without greatcoats. It will take some time to make them, and cold weather is coming on.
May I suggest a temporary substitute? In the Civil War in America in 1861-65 thousands of the Confederate soldiers wore blankets altered as follows:—A slit was cut in the centre just large enough to put the head through. The slit was then hemstitched to prevent its getting larger. A flat button was then sewn on one side at the centre of the slit, and a tab with a buttonhole on the other side, so as to close the hole when not in use. Some of the Southerners added a small slit or a piece of tape in which they carried a toothbrush instead of a flower.
Previous to the Civil War I had seen this plan adopted by some of my shipmates when forming part of naval brigades landed on active service.
Yours faithfully,
ELLENBOROUGH, Commander, R.N., (Retired)
ALIEN ENEMIES
19 September 1914
SIR,—MAY I CONGRATULATE the police on having arrested and secured conviction for Mr. Rufus Royal?
The arrest of this man in the Central Hall of the House of Commons shows how easily aliens of a thoroughly mischievous type may be in our midst unknown to these around them.
I have known this man for months as the secretary of some labour organization. He often spoke to me in the lobby and corresponded with me, and only 10 days ago a big stationery firm rang me up stating that he had given my name as a reference, I need hardly say without the slightest authority; but the point is that all this time, so perfect was his English and his appearance, that I never had the slightest suspicion that he was an alien. My correspondence has shown for weeks past the well-grounded suspicion that there are a number of these dangerous people in our midst, particularly all round our coasts, and this arrest and conviction shows, I think clearly, the need for increased vigilance on the part of our police, and perhaps, stricter conditions in regard to aliens in our midst.
Yours, &c.,
W. JOYNSON-HICKS
Popular authors had stoked fears of spies even before the war; there were said to be 60,000 Germans and Austrians living in Britain when the war started.