By a Staff Reporter
WHEN the first party of eighteen A.T.S, landed in Normandy they came across a
party of nuns resting by the roadside. They were members of the Run Sauveur order who had been bombed out of their mother house in Own and had had to scatter into %grime, groups—some to con
vents of otner orders and some were Using in a barn lent to them by one of the Normandy farmers.
The girls at once went over to talk to the nuns, olio-gave them it graphic account of the enemy attack that demolished their convent. They were eager for news of England and one of the first things they asked the British girls to do was to take messages to their convent at Holyhead. There is, of course, no civilian post to and front Normandy yet and even
carrying of letters is not annamd. But the nuts were told that any verbal messeges they wished to send to their convent in England would be delivered.
THE convent at Holyhead has now been given these verbal messages. They have 'been told how the Caen community has been split into six groups. How the nuns in the hart were " living rough " with one wash basin among tile of them. The fanner had given them all the accommodation he could with the use of a stable as well, although he was putting up ninny civilian refugees in addition to the nuns.
" Short of almost everything" VI 55 the plight of these nuns. They had managed to salvage just one change of clothing. But In spite of their hardships they were helping the refugees, looking after the sick and making themselves useful to the community in a hundred Wass.
Some of the nuns had relations in the community at Holyhead rind special messages have been taken to these, too. The Holyhead nuns themselves had been hitting an anxious time wondering what was happening to their Mother House, an anxiety that was increased when they saw in the English papers pictures of their own nuns among the Normandy refugees.
THERE was a Catholic girl
among the first batch of these A.T.S. She is Private Margaret Doherty, and twenty-four hours after arils ing, she heard her first Mass at a little village church. She was as the only woman in Uniform there and so was something of a novelty t But now the number of A.T.S. in Normandy has greatly increased and the Catholic chaplain attached to rear 11.Q. or the Second Army Group will look after the Catholic girls.
Private Doherty is a Glasgow girl and was educated at the coosent of Mercy at Garnethill.