大象传媒

No. 4 Shop - Rolls-Royce

I was called up but there were no vacancies in the Wrens, only in the Land Army, Air Force and Army so I went and joined a few other females on munitions work at No. 4 Shop, Rolls Royce, Patchway. We were joined by a few women from Birmingham, Devon and Cornwall, many of who had never been outside their local towns. They were found lodgings and given train passes to visit home twice a year. The Devon and Cornwall girls had worked as local cleaners for 7s. 6d. a week so found a large pay packet, and life in Bristol, strange but interesting.

I worked at No. 4 Shed Patchway Aero Works, so therefore entered a man鈥檚 noisy working world of large machinery. We were given long brown cotton overalls, wooden based clogs and arm sleeves 鈥� elasticated at the wrist and elbows to stop the oil from the machines causing any skin complaints. My first job on a Capstan machine was grinding small items like spark plugs. Later I was one or the first women to be transferred to a man鈥檚 job of grinding long big crank shank sleeves 鈥� which were part of an engine. With a man鈥檚 job came man鈥檚 wages, which some of the men objected to and they brought in their union who eventually agreed that women could also work on large machines if taught properly. Their loss was my gain and I remained there until the end of the war. The large grinding wheel was reset every day by a 鈥渟etter鈥� using a real diamond to sharpen the grinding stone; the diamond was checked back in to the store at the end of each day鈥檚 shift. The shafts were brought to me covered in deep red rust proof powder, which with the aid of the grinding wheel, and special instruments, working with thousandth of an inch feelers and other tools designed for this work, were transferred into shinny crank shafts which were inspected before being passed onto the next stage. There was a clause that I found a few months later, it included shift work of periods of two weeks days and two weeks nights 鈥� 12 hourly shifts 7a.m. to 7p.m. and included weekend working but the money suited me so I got used to shift work. The men became friendly, helpful and jolly mates.

In all weathers and air raids I cycled from Staple Hill to Patchway and back, only stopping in the lanes to turn my bike upside down and, with my 鈥淛ohn Bull鈥� kit, repair my tyres. These lanes have given way to housing estates. Many hours were spent in the air raid shelters, playing cards or knitting, returning to work on the 鈥淎ll Clear鈥�, and clocking off at the end of shifts. On night shifts I enjoyed eating sandwiches while working to save time during the midnight break. We girls were in great demand, no fear of no dance partners for men outnumbered the girls so we made the most of it 鈥� dancing to Al Lloyds鈥� and other bands before returning to work. The Wednesday shift 鈥� morning in bed, afternoon tea dance at The Berkley in Park Street, back to Filton to change clothes and on to the 12 hour shift.

I never got used to the air raids, which were very scary. On one occasion a bomb came too close, landing in the sewerage bed, the result of which we had to wade out of the shelter through the mess and the smell as it had flooded the shelter.

At the end of the war women were released and returned home 鈥� some had Bristol boyfriends, stayed and eventually married, others enjoyed life in the bombed city of Bristol. I myself returned to a 9 to 5 job. I missed my midnight dancing. Like many other Patchway workers I have memories of war work and doing a few 鈥渇oreigners鈥� such as name discs which I somehow manage to fit in with my 12 hourly day of grinding work!

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