| WRVS In Scotland: Seventy Years Of Service. - Norman Watson. |
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When Yorkshire woman Eveline Caldwell saw a German airman bale out of his plane in the early days of the Second World War, she knew exactly what to do. Pitchfork in hand, she challenged the injured man, and disarmed him with the words, "Remember now, you are my prisoner. In the meantime I'm going to make you a cup of tea."
You may smile, but really that piece of WRVS folklore sums up what the organisation, and its women, were - and still are - all about. Courage, determination, self-sacrifice, practicality and compassion were just some of the qualities of the volunteer "Army That Hitler Forgot".
I confess that apart from a brief stint with Meals on Wheels as a teenage schoolgirl in Glasgow, and being the recipient of countless welcome cups of tea on hospital visits, I really knew nothing about the organisation before reading WRVS In Scotland: Seventy Years Of Service.
As "the most remarkable women's organisation in history" celebrates its 70th anniversary, Norman Watson pays tribute to its volunteers, marking the occasion with this remarkable fact-filled and highly entertaining book - the first about the WRVS in Scotland.
Formed in 1938 to do work that didn't seem to fit any other organisation's remit, the Women's Voluntary Services (later the Women's Royal Voluntary Service and now the WRVS) worked tirelessly through the war doing ARP work, manning static and mobile canteens, doing auxiliary nursing, assisting with transport, handling the government's evacuations scheme, helping in hospitals, and much more.
After the war ended "Britain's unsung emergency service", continued ready, waiting and willing, 24 hours a day, to give assistance where needed. Think of Dunblane, Piper Alpha, Lockerbie: the WRVS were there. Watch any disaster unfold on television and you'll see the police, fire brigade and ambulance crews in action. What you probably won't see are the WRVS members behind the scenes, lending essential practical support to those on the front line.
Sadly, in recent years, many of the duties once performed by the WRVS have gradually been taken from them - Meals on Wheels, Derby and Joan clubs, children's holiday clubs, hospital shops, toy libraries, prison visitor centres, and the ubiquitous cup of tea . . . some have already disappeared and others are threatened. Yet the WRVS continues to adapt and meet new challenges.
This book is all about hard work, grit and determination. And I don't just mean the WRVS volunteers! I've seldom read a book with so much information and detail packed into every page.
A phenomenal amount of research has gone into this tribute, and the author is to be congratulated for a most enjoyable and informative read. Hitler may have forgotten about the WRVS. Norman Watson has ensured we'll not make the same mistake. |
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