Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 20, 2019 20:00:25 GMT 12
I just came across another story of an influential New Zealander making a difference to the war effort in WWII that I am sure most will not have heard of.
A.T.S. COMMANDER
FORMER NEW ZEALANDER
(Special P.A. Correspondent.) Rec. 9.30 a.m. LONDON, August 11
The commander of the Middle East Army of several thousand women is Controller Audrey Chitty, a former New Zealander. She is the daughter of Archdeacon C. C. Harper, and left New Zealand in 1915. She is the wife of Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Chitty, of the Essex Regiment.
As Controller - equivalent to colonel — she directs the women in khaki serving in the Army throughout Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Eritrea, Cyprus, Algeria, and Bagdad. Before the war she was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for organising the Girl Guide movement in India. She was one of the first women to be commissioned in 1938 in the A.T.S.
Controller Chitty went to the Middle East in August, 1940, watched the work of the A.T.S., and saw its numbers increase from 40 to several thousands today. It is an international corps, including, in addition to British, Czechs, Belgians, Poles, Austrians, Greeks, Cypriots, and Arabs. She says that language is one of the main difficulties, for half the women cannot speak English. The A.T.S. regard themselves as part of the Eighth Army, and did valuable work before El Alamein. "Their favourite job is assembling tommy-guns," said Controller Chitty, who was recently in London and has now returned to the Middle East.
A.T.S. COMMANDER
FORMER NEW ZEALANDER
(Special P.A. Correspondent.) Rec. 9.30 a.m. LONDON, August 11
The commander of the Middle East Army of several thousand women is Controller Audrey Chitty, a former New Zealander. She is the daughter of Archdeacon C. C. Harper, and left New Zealand in 1915. She is the wife of Lieutenant-Colonel J. W. Chitty, of the Essex Regiment.
As Controller - equivalent to colonel — she directs the women in khaki serving in the Army throughout Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Eritrea, Cyprus, Algeria, and Bagdad. Before the war she was awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal for organising the Girl Guide movement in India. She was one of the first women to be commissioned in 1938 in the A.T.S.
Controller Chitty went to the Middle East in August, 1940, watched the work of the A.T.S., and saw its numbers increase from 40 to several thousands today. It is an international corps, including, in addition to British, Czechs, Belgians, Poles, Austrians, Greeks, Cypriots, and Arabs. She says that language is one of the main difficulties, for half the women cannot speak English. The A.T.S. regard themselves as part of the Eighth Army, and did valuable work before El Alamein. "Their favourite job is assembling tommy-guns," said Controller Chitty, who was recently in London and has now returned to the Middle East.
