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When the war began, I was working as a nursemaid in one of the big houses in Johnston, Renfrewshire. All the big houses were used as billets for army officers: a group of Free French Army officers were billeted.

They didn’t understand the rules of the big houses. The officers’ batmen used to try to come in through the front door like gentry and I was always having to direct them around to the back! They also couldn’t understand about the blackout. As I spoke no French really, I used to have to show them how to do it. I’d pull the French Officer inside quickly and mime to them about closing the curtains and shutting off the light and then nod and say ‘comprenez monsieur?’ They usually did after a few goes.

In about 1942, I joined the ATS and left for Edinburgh. We were well looked after there though we were kept busy. We trained in the Royal Scots Barracks in Edinburgh before I was posted to Leeds to join the Royal Artillery. First I was part of a rocket guns unit before I was posted to an admin job in the Quartermaster’s stores. It was my job to collect all the rations and make sure they were fairly divided amongst all the units.

It was whilst doing this that I met my husband. I was delivering the rations to a REME unit and had to go into a pub. I’d never been into a pub before at all — I’d had a good upbringing! And there he was — the man who later became my husband. So it was worth it.

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