The Telegraph Book of Readers' Letters from the Great War (18 page)

I assert positively, from my own knowledge, that many of these men, just discharged from hospital, for whom plenty of good nourishing food is a necessity if they are ever to hope to regain even partial health, would have had to break up their homes and be deprived of what was absolutely necessary for them but for the timely assistance of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Help Society, which help cannot be indefinitely continued, unless greatly increased support is given by the public. I assert this state of things is a disgrace to the country. The Government pay members of Parliament £400 a year for attending the House of Commons as little as they please for a few months in the year; they are paying well-to-do people 25s a week per horse for keeping remounts for the cavalry; they pay 22s up to 25s per week per head for billeting their men; they are paying exorbitant rents for practically useless buildings; and 17s 6d a week is the highest allowance they will give to these splendid men who have gone through sufferings no pen could describe, and who have saved their country from horrors unspeakable.

It is indeed time somebody should speak out, and try to stir up the people to insist that justice shall be done to these heroes. It is true that the hospital arrangements are splendid. In all the hospitals I have visited I have never heard a
complaint. The work done by the Red Cross is beyond all praise, but what is the use of patching up their poor maimed bodies if we are only going to leave them to starve?

The unfortunate thing is that so few people seem to realise the necessities of these gallant men. Millions of money are being poured out to help the Belgians, the Serbs, the Poles, the French wounded; even wounded horses are thought of; but little or nothing is being done for these splendid men. I write hundreds of letters every week imploring people to recognise the great needs of these poor maimed heroes, and to enable the Soldiers' and Sailors' Help Society to supplement the wretched pittances that are doled out to them, but I am told that they have already subscribed so much to all these other funds that they have nothing left for their own countrymen. May I suggest this, that for the first year, at any rate, the Government should allot greatly increased pensions to these men. With good nourishment and proper care many of them may regain some measure of health and be able to do light work.

I am giving up my whole life to this work, and I have personal knowledge and experience of what I have written. I could fill columns of your paper with cases of individual suffering. I believe when once the British public realise the urgent necessity they will insist on generous treatment being promptly given to these heroic men who have given so much and suffered so much for King and country.

I remain, obediently yours,

Frederick Milner
11 Hereford Gardens, London W.

Nearly half a century of my life has been spent in England, and all my interests – family, business and social – are centred
here. All my male relatives of military age are serving with the King's forces.

My unfailing loyalty and devotion to this country have never varied or been questioned, and, while affirming this, I desire also to express my deep sense of horror at the manner in which the war is being conducted by the German Government.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

E. Cassel

Brook House, Park Lane, London W.

In fairness to the men of military age remaining in these businesses, and incidentally, in justice to the employer, we
have reached a point, in my opinion, where the principle of compulsion must be recognised, thereby giving a complete system of national service.

Up to this point our voluntary system has achieved wonders. The Empire has not only surprised itself, but the whole world, by raising a volunteer Army of enormous strength. This splendid Army has been gathered from all quarters of the world where the flag flies, and trained by a master mind; and whatever shortcomings there may have been, inseparable from such a mighty effort made so spontaneously, it is still a triumph of organisation.

For instance, under the system of voluntary registration now being pursued, my firm, with many others, will be asked to give a return of men of recruitable age. This we are pleased to do, and these men will then be directly approached by the
authorities. Most probably all these men will feel the call to service imperative, and forthwith enlist, whilst thousands of other men, escaping registration for various reasons, will never be directly approached.

Also, surely it is an economic blunder to use so many of our young married men (who are bringing up the coming generation – and paying for it!) while unmarried men, without responsibilities, are not serving. I think, too, we have to remind ourselves of the untouched resources we have in the educated young women of our country – the middle-class girl – who could be mobilised for very effective work in many of our national undertakings.

At present many men of military age are open to the reproaches of others without deserving it. A national call to service would remove this. Men there may be (I have not met them) who do not wish to serve – these merit all our contempt. Coming in contact, as I do, with men of all ages, I make bold to say that our manhood as a whole is fervently patriotic, and, so far as I have gathered, is unanimous in the demand for the immediate adaption of a plan of a compulsory service.

It should be simple enough for a central authority, working through departments split up territorially, to compile a new Domesday Book, wherein every man, with the kind of service to be expected of him, should be recorded, ready to be called whenever he is wanted. Businessmen could prepare this roll-call of the nation very expeditiously – a matter of a few weeks. I am sure the system could be educed very easily, if the Government would lay it down as a principle.

Yours truly,

Sydney M. Skinner, Chairman John Barker & Co. (Ltd)
Kensington High Street, W.

For some years past farmers, or their wives, all over the country, have made a practice of taking holiday visitors. I have before me lists of over a thousand, which could probably be increased.

If some scheme could be promptly devised for bringing together farmers and holidaymakers willing to help on defined, if limited, lines, the farmer, on his part, might perhaps make some slight concession in his terms to such paying guests. In any case, if this form of help appeals to any considerable number I have no doubt a practical provisional committee could be formed at once to consider the preliminaries.

Apart from the healthy satisfaction of ‘doing their bit', working holidaymakers would find compensation in the discovery of many new delightful spots in rural England.

Yours faithfully,

Percy Lindley
20 Fleet Street, E.C.

Among small investors the easiest way to popularise the loan is to offer to pledge themselves to subscribe up to a certain amount, but at least £5. To do this a personal touch is necessary. An impersonal Post Office savings appeal will do something, but a reasoned appeal from an employer will do much more.

I think many employers may still be unaware that they can themselves use the Post Office department to hold any stock for which they pay and take up for distribution among their staff on payment (say) in weekly instalments. Out of £150,000 taken up by our firm, £140,000 for the company and £10,000 for the employees' savings-bank account, we have found it possible to earmark £40,000 to be held by the Post Office authorities at our disposal for distribution to those of our staff who elect to pay small or large weekly contributions up to an amount to be chosen by themselves.