大象传媒

This story has been submitted on behalf of the author by a People's War volunteer story gatherer. The author has been made aware of the site's House Rules.

The story was gathered at an exhibition of World War Two memories at the Assembly Rooms, Bath in August 2005 and was organised by Bath and North East Somerset Council.

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Sybil Tudge Assembly Rooms Bath

I was at home when war broke out; my father was a widower and Lady Hereford used to have a mansion not far from usand that was vacated to make way for invalid soldiers. So we had to train as VADs - Voluntary Aid Detachments although there weren't many patients but we kept or working there as long as we could. Eventually they said as there are no patients we want someone to go around the area collecting all the metal for making bomb casements, so I did that for a while. We went with a horse and cart - because there was no petrol - and collected it all up and took it to a depot.

Before that I had a boyfriend called Roy Mottram who was a Battle of Britain Pilot and flew Spitfires from Biggin Hill No 92 Squadron. He was there for over a year and then he was sent to Markersham Heath (?) and he didn't last there very long because he was killed over in France at the end of August 1941. I remember while he was at Biggin Hill he wrote to me and said would I come down to Cheltenham one weekend because they used to spend time in the Cotswolds after being bombed at Biggin Hill. So one day I hail this letter from him saying do come down to Cheltenham but I wrote back to him and asked if he would actually meet me at Gloucester because it would have been easier for me coming down from Ludlow. Any way be must have been late out flying because he didn't get my letter until lt was too late too reply. There were no telephones - you couldn't phone an air field that was fighting so we used to practice telepathy. He was in Bigger Hill and I was in Shropshire and I got a 'message' through telepathy to Say it was alright to go to Gloucester! And when I got to the station there he was! He said, 鈥測ou got my message?" and I said, 鈥渢wice!"

Of course there wouldn't have been any train home if you had missed him and you wouldn't have been able to get in an hotel alright because they were often full up.

So because there wasn't much work for us with only two or three patients I decided I wanted to do something - I wanted to join up. I couldn t go into the airforce because I didn't want to see another aeroplane or airman so I decided to join the Navy. I didn't tell my father because I was keeping house for him.

So I went of to be interviewed and I was told straight afterwards that I had passed. The lady who told me asked, " what do you do now?" and I told her that I looked after my father and she looked at me and said, "oh dear, we won't be able to take you."

鈥淲hy ever not?" I asked.

And she said it would mean they would have to put someone in my place.

She saw, however, that I could drive, which was quite a string to have in your bow at that time, and she told me about the WVS (Women's Voluntary Service) who were crying out for volunteers.

So I went to volunteer for that and they said yes, please do come along.

But before I could use the canteen van I had to pass an examination to see if I could drive properly.

The canteen hadn't really got very good brakes and it was very difficult to drive, you had to put your foot on the pedal and the brake 'and put your other foot on the clutch and then you had to double declutch and be able totake the brake off with your left hand. The examiner asked me why I switched the engine off. I told him I had to pull into the side because the brakes were bad.

He said, 鈥渕y God, if you can dirive like that you can drive anything!"

So I passed that one!

And so we used to go all around the outlying areas - to where all the military people were based. We'd have all sorts of things onboard: food, washing things, and men of course want shaving things. We'd have everything on board this canteen!

On June 3rd or 4th 1944 I got this letter saying we want you to go for two or three weeks - and the day before the invasion I was sent to the south coast - with a friend - to Chichester where we met Lady Reading who was head of the WVS then. We were billeted separately and feeling quite tired we slept well.

We woke up on 6th June and the sky Was absolutely full of aeroplanes and the noise was terrific. And the boats were out to sea - you could have walked to France.

There was military everywhere and some of the American troops had broken down and they were getting very hot and bothered because they couldn't get the engine to go - there was a lot of chaos.

You could even hear the guns fighting in France! It was an awful thing.

So we had to do what we could and we were sent here, there and everywhere. Wherever they wanted us really.

On 13th June, I think it was, I went to bea and there was a terrible noise - terrible - a wasn't a bomb, it was something awful.

So we got into the canteen the next day and I said to my co-worker, 鈥淲hatever happend last night?"

She said, "something awful has happened."

Anyway, as we drove the canteen towards the aerodrome (Tangmere?) on the south coast near Portsmouth, we could see that the whole area was devastated.

The few trees in the middle had all gone black. And a lot of men with what he called marmalade on their hats, you know, posh ones, said we could go in but please don't touch anything. We were allowed in because of our military passes.

鈥淲e haven't a clue what this is," they told us.

I saw this one small piece on the floor and I didn't know what it was and so I dropped my handkerchief over it and I grabbed it!

Of course, we later found out that this was the first VI flying bomb to come over! 13th June 1944.

We had to keep on working there for another week or two.

There were planes going over day and night, you could count a hundred planes in the sky and many of them they were towing gliders.

We only stayed there for a few weeks before being relieved - because we were voluntary you see.

Eventually they sard we could go home but that we would have to go via London.

So we had to go into London and there were V1s there!

They made a noise like a motor bike in the sky, poppity- pop, poppity-pop, poppity-pop... and as soon as they stopped they came down and exploded.

We didn't stay very long and when we came back home the airforce had put a beacon close to our farm to help the airforce get their bearings because we werent very far from the River Teme (?) and they probably thought it was the River Severn so they put that there.

And they used to come over it, the Germans did, and shoot at it! And the bullets used to land on the roof, bing bang, bing bang, ping bang!

But it was an so elementary In those days. One day I was coming back from doing one of the rounds with the canteen and I met my brother who was in the Home Guard because he was farming, and he said come home quickly, the Germans have landed!

I said, "you haven't seen any Germans," and he said 鈥淚 have. Go quickly!"

So I went home and it turned out there had been a whirl wind and all the hay had gone up into the sky and he thought it was the Germans landing!

Anyway, our war was over When the Germans invaded Russia because it went so quiet and it didn't really start up again until the invasion.

I can't really remember what happened for VE Day - I think there was a service held in Hereford Cathedral, but nothing really exciting. There was nothing to celebrate with - the sausages were made of bread and the bread was made of sawdust I mean there was no food about at all so how could you celebrate? And there wasn't any food about for several years afterwards

We all had to have identity cards. And I had a tin helmet and you had to have a gas mask which you had to drag all over the place with you.

It was certainly an evperience to have in your life and one I hope will never happen again.

We were very patriotic in those days. You did everything you could for Britain. Could you imagine it today? I can't Imagine happening at all like that.

A lot of us were sent to drive ambulances and lots of them (WVS) were lost.

We've very lucky to be alive.

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