Nohomesfor newlyweds

Quoting from official returns, the Observer said nearly 400,000 women had married soldiers since the start of the war and three out of four had yet to find settled homes.

Even if they could find a house they had difficulty buying furniture and household necessities, which were three or four times pre-war prices.

However, better times ahead were on the horizon as the timber controller was releasing additional supplies of wood for furniture making and arrangements were being made to put up thousands of American, frame-built, concrete, six-room houses with “all modern appliances”.

The homes could be erected at a cost of £300 each and ought to be let from 12 to 14 shillings (60-70p) weekly.

More than 6000 women in the UK had married Australian soldiers, while “many more” had wed Canadian troops. Nearly all of them were expected to make their homes in the Dominions.

There was talk of organising training on a national scale for war brides and ex-war workers but many were taking a holiday.

In the run-up to Christmas and New Year the demand for additional shop assistants and Post Office staff had provided many of the discharged war workers with temporary occupations.

“It will not be until the end of the year that will come any real test of the amount of employment that is available for women and girls,” added the paper.