Ettie Rout worked to protect New Zealand soldiers from venereal disease in Egypt, England and France during the First World War. This card advertises Madame Yvonne's brothel on the Rue Saint-Lazare in Paris, where the prostitutes were supplied with sheaths (thicker condoms) and there was plenty of hot water and soap, and clean towels and sheets. Rout would meet New Zealand soldiers when they arrived in Paris, offer them lodging at the Hotel d'Ostend, close to the Place de l'Opéra, and give them cards for Madame Yvonne's. According to Rout, the brothel provided 'safe and suitable provision for the sexual needs of troops'. Men could also go to Madame Yvonne's to meet young women and, for a fee, take them out to the theatre.
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Australian War Memorial
Reference:
3 DRL 6487 (55)
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