PLAIN PEOPLE: The Fervent Angel

When World War I broke out, no one responded more fervently to the cause of France than pretty, earnest Kathleen Burke of London. First she raised $4,000,000 for Allied hospitals, then she went to France as a war nurse, was wounded at Verdun, gassed at Valenciennes, and made 18 Atlantic crossings during the height of the submarine peril. When the war was over, she had won a permanent place in the hearts of Frenchmen. They called her “The Angel of France.”

Later, Kathleen Burke married another friend of France, Los Angeles Artist (portraits and murals) Girard van Barkaloo Hale, who served for two years with an American Field Service unit attached to the 22nd French Infantry; in recognition of his devoted service, France awarded him the Croix de Guerre with two citations.

World War II brought the Hales fresh cause for labor on behalf of France. They went to France in 1940, worked with French and other Allied relief officials until June, then returned to the U.S. and embarked on lecture tours to raise funds for war refugees. In April 1946 the Hales first heard how the Germans had treated the tiny Loire village of Maillé; because they suspected the villagers of hiding an English pilot, the Nazis had killed 124 men, women & children, then razed half of the dwellings. The Hales decided to “adopt” the village, spent more than $25,000 providing their 500-odd wards with shoes, soap, tractors, china, blankets, furniture, altar carpets and scarves for the church and 40 yards of black funeral cloth.

Last August, the Hales sailed for France again, laden with gifts for the 150 children of Maillé. Girard Hale also planned another surprise for the kids, a bus trip to Paris. Said he: “It may be one of the few times they’ll ever visit Paris. The people of Maillé hardly ever even go to Tours, which is only 15 miles away.”

Mr. & Mrs. Hale and the children of Maillé were in Paris last week, having a wonderful time. In the restaurant of the Eiffel Tower, a beribboned youngster planted a big kiss on Mrs. Hale’s cheek (see cut). The Angel of France could not have been happier.