大象传媒

The 40's remembered...

I joined W.R.N.S on June 11th 1941. I lived in Mortonhampstead and from there went to Plymouth where I became a cadet. I had little or no training as things had not recovered from the blitz. We worked at Fort Austin (Eggbuckland) and lived in quarters in Seymour Road. I remained there for about six months and then my friend (from schooldays) and I volunteered for overseas service. We were 18 years old and it seemed an exciting thing to do!

We were sent to Greenwich Naval base for a few weeks training and we spent Christmas 1941 there - a memorable time! - we had our Christmas dinner in the painted hall with all the other naval personnel. It was awe inspiring! We were young and excited, it seemed the great adventure of our lives was starting, most of us had never left England. One outstanding memory is that of being so terrified of being scalded to death - I was sitting by the boiling central heating pipes during an air raid!

We had 2 weeks leave and were told to pack clothing suitable for a hot climate. It must have been rotten for my parents (my only sister lived in Australia)and my father saw me off at Moreton station and I met the other girls from the Plymouth area and we then embarked for Liverpool. We embarked on the troopship "Orantes". The first two weeks we had to sleep fully clothed and with our tin of emergency rations round our necks. The U-boats still ruled the waves then. We went via the Cape and so our voyage lasted two months. We called in at Freetown and Capetown. We had three fabulous days there. My letters home describe the excitement we felt at seeing the lights on everywhere and as much food as we could eat! The people were so kind and enabled us to see as much as possible in those few days.

We landed at Suez Feb 7th 1942 and arrived in Alexandria the next day. We were the first draft of Wrens and we were quartered in a convent - poor nuns! We worked at Ras el Tin several miles away. Watches of eight hours with part of the day off after night duty. We worked hard but also had a lot of fun, as well as awful heartache when boyfriends got killed. By June 1942 Rommel was only 60 miles away and i remember seeing the flashing lights and hearing gun fire. This period in Alex was known as 'the flap' and there really was chaos.

Eventually we were loaded into cattle trucks and taken to Ismalia, after a night there sleeping on the floor at the YWCA we boarded the 'Princess Kathleen' and I ended up in Suez. After a few weeks tied up there we went to a camp in the desert; we slept on the ground (no sleeping bags!)It was fearfully hot by day and cold by night. I worked for a while in Port Tewfik. After a month or two we went back to Alexandria. I met and married an Army officer and was allowed to live out but work as usual. In 1944 U became ill and was diagnosed with T.B . I spent 3 months in Jerusalem in the 7th General Hospital in the Kaisers Palace on the Mount of Olives. I had to be in a room on my own as I was a Wren Rating but an officers wife - a lonely time!! I was eventually sent home in the hospital ship "Orange" (Dutch) and then to Hawkmoon Sanatorium, Bovey Tracey. V.E day was hardly celebrated by us patients, we weren't officially told until late in the day so we really did miss out on that!

The day came after 6 months there when I was allowed home - perhaps the most memorable day of my life. A taxi collected me - it was late May and we went to my home at Moreton. It was fantastic, after five eventful years I saw hedges ablaze with bluebells, campions and stitchwort and the gorgeous fresh green foliage everywhere - what a joy. I look back now and know how those years changed my life forever. Nothing now is taken for granted, no spring has ever passed without my saying 'thank-you'. I know I am lucky to have had that experience and lived through it.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.