ordinary course, be bought by the War Office and Admiralty.  All kinds of garments will be needed for distribution in the winter if there is exceptional distress.

The Queen would remind those that are assisting the Guild that garments which are bought from the shops and are sent to the Guild are equally acceptable, and their purchases would have the additional advantage of helping to secure the continuance of employment of women engaged in their manufacture.  It is, however, not desirable that any appeal for funds should be made for this purpose which would conflict with the collection of the Prince of Wales’s Fund.

Branches of Queen Mary’s Needlework Guild were started everywhere and the Mayoresses of practically every town in the Kingdom organized their own towns.  Gifts came from all over the world and a book kept at Friary Court, St. James’, records the gifts received from Greater Britain and the neutral countries.

The demand for comforts was very great and in ten months the gross number of articles received was 1,101,105, but this did not represent anything like all.  It was the Queen’s wish that the branches of her Guild should be free to do as they wished in distribution, send to local regiments, or regiments quartered in the neighborhood, or use them for local distress.  Great care was taken to see there was no overlapping, and this is secured fully by Sir Edward Ward’s Committee.

Our men have been well looked after in the way of comforts, socks and mitts and gloves and jerseys, and mufflers and gloves for minesweepers and helmets, everything they needed, and the Regimental Comforts Funds and work still exists as well, all co-ordinated now.

The Fleet has also had fresh vegetables supplied to it the whole time by a voluntary agency.

At the Training Camps, in France, in every field of war, we have the Y.M.C.A., and there is no soldier in these days and no civilian who does not know the Red Triangle.  There are over 1,000 huts in Britain and over 150 in France.  It is the sign that means something to eat and something warm to drink, somewhere cozy and warm out of the cold and chill and damp of winter camp and trench, somewhere to write a letter, somewhere to read and talk, somewhere that brings all of “Blighty” that can come to the field of war.  In our Y.M.C.A. huts, 30,000 women work.  In the camp towns we have also the Guest Houses, run by voluntary organizations of women.  In the Town Halls we have teas and music and in our houses we entertain overseas troops as our guests.

Our men move in thousands to and from the front, going and on leave, moving from one camp to another, and Victoria Station, Charing Cross and Waterloo are names written deep in our hearts these days.  We have free buffets for our fighting men at all of these, and at all our London stations and ports, and these are open night and day.  All the money needed is found by voluntary subscriptions.