Being
President of the Bahamas Historical Society is like being a captain of a ship
on a voyage of discovery. Surveying one of the drawers in the museum today I
came across this cutting from the Guardian of early 1943. The price was then
one penny and there was a black-out from 6.10 pm until 8.48 am.
Nassau Guardian 1943
|
The caption reads, "Eight young women volunteers left
Nassau to-day en route to England after being received at Government House by
His Royal Highness the Governor. Happy, and full of vigour, they stepped
aboard the plane on the first lap of their long journey. Large numbers of the
R.A.F. joined relatives and other friends at the airport to see them off and
many were the good wishes that sped them on their way.
Leaving to-day were Mrs. Cyril
Loughran, (nee Margaret Brownrigg), Mrs. James Millar (nee Peggy Moseley), and
the Misses Anne Wanklyn, Grace Johnson, Peggy Hilton, Joan Straton, Mary Brown
and Rosalie Knowles. Mrs. F D Appleyard and Miss R. J. Winder left previously
and will join the girls in America. Mrs. B. MacDuff and her sister, Miss
Barbara Duncombe, hope to leave to-morrow, having been delayed because the
latter has
been
ill. It was a great disappointment to these two volunteers to be left behind
today and it is hoped they will soon be on their way, after many, many weeks of
planning and working to
go overseas. Several of the girls have husbands in the Army in Britain.
Whether the girls will join the A.T.S.
or the W.A.A.F. will not
be known until they get to England. Each has her own
private hope. In any case, they are doing good work and friends and relatives
saw them off with pride, even though they were a bit tearful in some instances.
Those who were not able to bid them farewell will join with us in wishing them
"Bon Voyage" and success-in their brave venture."
Good luck to them!
Please
remember our upcoming talks:
Thursday
25th February at 6pm Sir Orville Turnquest – Over-the-Hill,
Grant’s Town
Thursday
25th March at 6pm features Dr Harry Munnings – Westward (his
new book)
Thursday
29th April at 6pm – Annual General Meeting
Thursday
27th May at 6pm – Nicolette Bethel and Philip Burrows –
History of Theatre in Bahamas
All at
our museum corner of Shirley Street and Elizabeth Avenue Parking at the ex
Psilinakis carpark north of the museum on Elizabeth Ave. Entrance via First
Caribbean Bank on Shirley Street.
The Bahamas Historical Society (BHS)
is a non-profit organization dedicated to stimulating interest in
Bahamian History and to the collection and preservation of material
relating thereto. Its Headquarters, the former IODE Hall, was a gift
from the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE). BHS is
on Shirley Street and Elizabeth Avenue in Nassau.
www.bahamashistoricalsociety.
com
