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[Page 56]
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women whose manners changed from hostility and a degree of suspicion to respect not to say friendliness, for many of them came to me with private affairs, which showed that I had their confidence. With everything going so smoothly it was with something of a shock that I came against a tough proposition in a new arrival, one Agnes Campbell a domestic worker. She entered the orderly room with fire in her eyes, went to my deputy, to whom she had to report for duty, and immediately blurted out, "What hours do I get off in this place?" I looked across the table out of the corner of my eye, and though[t] this looks like trouble. The preliminaries of taking name, number etc. concluded, I invited her to my table and elicited that she had just crossed from England, where she had been training for some weeks. "Were you taught to salute", I asked, "Yes I was", she replied in broad scotch stiffened attitude. "Then let me see how nicely you can do it", and with just a flicker of a smile she obeyed. I told her of the temptations there would be in a foreign town, the necessity of being circumspect in her behaviour etc. and dismissed her by hoping she would prove loyal to her Corps.
The next morning my deputy, (who by the way had been private secretary to Lloyd George for seven years, previous to his being Prime Minister of England), told me that she had seen Campbell, (we always referred to them by their surname), when sweeping the footpath, speaking to several men passing. I asked that she be sent to me, and told her that was not seemly and that she must desist. She retorted "Can't a body be civil to them, and say good morning". Again I pointed out the misconstruction there might be of such conduct in a foreign city, and then went into a matter of overalls which she had not brought and as a matter of form asked, "Is this statement quite correct?".
That evening the forewoman asked for an interview, and reported that Campbell had refused duty. Again I sent for her, and asked if the charge were true, "It is", she said with bristling mien, "And I dont intend to do duties for the likes of you, you accused me of