On This Day, 4 May 1918

Birmingham Mail

Saturday 4 May 1918

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

WARWICKSHIRE TEACHERS WAR BONUS.

Sir,—l should like to explain what some of the married teachers of Warwickshire think about the war bonus. To begin with, if single woman employed school under the Warwickshire Education Committee marries, her war bonus (small as it is) is at once deducted from her salary. Even if the teacher happens to draw Army allowance from her soldier husband the Education Committee does not pay it, and why should the war bonus be deducted?

My own case one many, I am the wife of soldier (who enlisted in 1914), with two small children. When my husband went I returned the teaching profession, the Army money was insufficient to live on and to bring up the children in way educated woman wishes to. True, our salaries have been raised from the Fisher grant, but only up to a standard we shall get peace times. Why should married teachers banned from the war bonus? Tramway girls and others on war work are not treated so. Surely we are doing our share of war work, too.—Yours, etc., Warwickshire Married Teacher.