Page 769 - Reading Mercury

best suited, although, subject to current employment demands, every effort will be
made to place new recruits in the type of job and in the part of the country they prefer.
There are immediate vacancies in Berkshire for milkers, market gardeners and
poultry workers. The minimum wage is now 50s, for a 48-hour week with overtime at
fixed rates. In many cases experienced members of the Land Army command a
weekly wage substantially ahead of the national minimum.

rd
Fri 3 May
H.M.S. GARTH COMFORTS FUND.
Many of our readers will remember that when H.M.S. Garth was adopted after the
Warship Week Savings Campaign, a fund was created and deposited at Barclays
Bank, Wokingham, upon which the Officer in charge of the ship had permission to
draw for the benefit of any member of the crew.
Some £278 was deposited, and has been used from time to time by the different
officers in command. In January 1946, the Garth was: put in reserve, and. the crew
was transferred to H.M.S. Bicester.
Although the Garth’s seagoing career is over, her days are not quite ended because
she has become an accommodation ship for a minesweeping flotilla, in conjunction
with HM.S. Eskimo.
At this time there was a balance of £91 19s. 7d. standing to the credit of this fund
and the .Executive Committee decided to send twenty guineas to the Captain of
H.M.S. Bicester to be used for starting a fund for this ship, and the remaining £70 19s.
7d. has been sent to the Officer in charge of H.M.S. Eskimo, for the purchases of
games and books to be used for the personnel of the Garth and the Eskimo.
We understand the Executive has made a request that in the event of the Garth ever
going to sea again, the Mayor of Wokingham should be advised, when it is hoped by
the present Committee that the fund would be reopened, for the benefit of the crew, as
we are sure the people of Wokingham and district, after the magnificent response in
the past, would still like to keep in touch with the ship.

th
Fri 17 May
LAND ARMY GIRLS ENTERTAIN DUTCH SOLDIERS
th
When the 9 Regiment Stoottroepen (Stormtroops) leave Easthampstead Park for
the Dutch East Indies, which is likely to be very soon, they will take with them
memories of the kind hospitality they have received during their short stay in this
country.
Since these Dutch boys have been with us they have set a fine example and reflected
great credit upon their country by their orderly, polite and gentlemanly behaviour—
characteristics which might well be imitated by some of our own people.
Last week a party of these soldiers under Lieut. Van Gorkom, were guests at the
Women’s Land Army at their hostel at Jealott’s Hill, Warfield, where they were
entertained by twenty-five very attractive young Land Army Girls. The party was
organised and arranged by the Warden of the Hostel as a gesture of hospitality and the
girls, despite the fact that they had, only a few hours before, returned from a hard
day’s threshing on neighbouring farms, very successfully coped with almost double
their number of men.
The Dutchmen’s limited knowledge of our tongue made things a trifle difficult at
first but this obstacle was very soon overcome by the girls of the Land Army.

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