大象传媒

This story was submitted by Helen Hughes of the People's War team in Wales on behalf of Anne Lawrence, and is added to the site with her permission.

I always wanted鈥ven as a child 鈥� to join the Navy. When anyone used to say what would you like to do when you leave school 鈥� I want to join the Navy鈥 lived in Derbyshire. I was training as a nurse in London and had a pretty gruelling night duty, gave my notice in went home, back to Derbyshire, went to the recruiting office and within six weeks I was in the Navy. My first base was HMS Roseneath in Scotland, it was a castle in the middle of a lake 鈥rom there I went to Inverary castle for a short while鈥nd then I went on a course to Wesley College, Leeds. From there I went to HMS Shrapnel in Southampton. I used to use the teleprinter and do general office duties. I was attached to K squadron, I did all their writing, whatever documentation they wanted doing. Leave passes and railway warrants and unmentionables sailors had to keep in the backs of their paybooks. They were issued to us via sick bay鈥nd they could have two. It was hilarious at times. It was a grubby job. I would go on board landing craft, destroyers, with documents 鈥e were not allowed on any account to go on board an American ship 鈥� it was practically a court martial offence. Things were different in those days. If I went on board a British ship 鈥� a destroyer say 鈥� I would have to speak to the rating on guard 鈥淥ffice of the watch please鈥� and when he came I鈥檇 say 鈥淧ermission to come aboard sir, I have documents for the captain鈥�. 鈥淐ome aboard, please鈥�. The rating at the top would then escort me either to the bridge and leave me鈥�.but if he was in his cabin, the door had to be left open and the guard had to stand outside. Very often the captain would say 鈥渨ill you have a drink, Jenny鈥� 鈥� we were all called Jenny. 鈥淣o sir鈥� 鈥� we could accept tea, or coffee鈥�.no drinking on duty. He would ring the bell and say 鈥淪teward, bring the leading Wren a cup of tea 鈥� and have we any biscuits鈥�. We worked long hours鈥ometimes I鈥檇 do two 24 hour watches in a week. Sometimes getting near to D-Day we were a closed city鈥� Southampton was closed and you couldn鈥檛 get in or out unless you had a special pass. We used to have visits from Montgomery and the King, Churchill, I was going up the stairs鈥t was the South Western Hotel鈥 luxury hotel before the war, where the people joining the big liners would stay. But afterwards when we went, it was a huge place, and now they鈥檙e turning it into luxury flats. I had a friend there鈥ady Roselle Pierpoint and I was speaking to her on the phone a while ago and she said 鈥淒o you remember the cockroaches?鈥� I said 鈥渙nly too well鈥� She was in boats crew鈥�.they delivered bodies to the LCTs house in the Channel鈥� and she wrote a book about our life in Southampton.
K-squadron were Landing Craft Tanks鈥�. We lost three over D-day 鈥� so I lost 18 members of the crew that I knew. And we had a Destroyer with us鈥e met these sailors in the Mission to Seaman on the Sunday after church parade. Arranged to meet them again the following weekend. They went out on the 5th of June, they struck a mine on the bottom of Southampton waters鈥�.all killed. One of my jobs which I hated was to go to the Post Office with the telegrams. If you were the senior rating on duty your job was to go to the Post Office 鈥測our son or husband - Missing鈥� You never sent a telegram which said killed in action. Not the first one. It always said 鈥渕issing鈥�. We had lots of grades at Southampton - where I was we had the incendiaries鈥�.and Southampton is a huge dock 鈥� right at the other end the KG5 engraving dock they had the explosives and that鈥檚 where we were out of bounds one night. We used that entrance every day but after blackout: Out of bounds and we were coming along, miles away鈥urther away from the dock. Out comes a jeep from the Military Police 鈥� 鈥淵es鈥� 鈥淵ou鈥檙e under arrest鈥�. They couldn鈥檛 do anything with us at night, we had to stay in the guard room鈥he next morning the Naval Police picked us up, hauled us in front of our Commanding Officer and I can see her now. She was sitting at her desk, she was a lovely person Third Officer Griffiths鈥he came from West Wales鈥nd she looked up 鈥淥h, not you three again!鈥�.

I went into my office one day and there was a big box of Mars bars 鈥�..48 Mars bars and there was my Petty Officer saying, 鈥渨here have you been? An extremely large American came brought you these鈥濃� said 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been anywhere鈥�. But as I cycled past I often used to chat to them as they stood guard and he brought me this huge box of 48 Mars bars 鈥�.so we shared them out. Then we decided the men that we knew on the Landing Craft who had children, we鈥檇 give them some to take home to their children. If the Americans gave us anything 鈥� they were very good to us鈥e used their PX canteen and they would bring us some oranges, bananas which were like gold dust. We were messed from the Americans and when you came from American food to British, the shock was too much! Around D-day they decided the sailors wouldn鈥檛 wear their full uniform they鈥檇 wear battledress, the same as the soldiers. So you鈥檇 go into the office and there鈥檇 be sailors in various states of undress. It was hilarious. Outside our quarters we had this barrage balloon known as Percy and standing down the other end of the dock and there was this barrage balloon coming down in flames. It had been shot down by the RAF鈥�.at dusk they would go to various heights this had been shot down by one of the Spitfires flying over. Our fighter cover came from Tangmere鈥e had fighter cover from Spitfires and Hurricanes. Percy came down in flames鈥�.tbey gave us another one鈥�.but it wasn鈥檛 the same.

If we were at a loose end鈥nd it was bitterly cold in the winter of 1944 ..鈥漢ow about going over the services club, find ourselves a couple of matelots鈥�.鈥� We鈥檇 walk in 鈥渘o sailors tonight, we鈥檒l have to make do with the army!鈥� They were the Royal Engineers鈥e worked with them because they were responsible for loading the LCTs 鈥� and before D-day they were sleeping practically on the quayside. We were under American control鈥nd most of our forces, I think they went to Juno. They were just massacred as they left the Landing Craft. You could hear a British battalion coming鈥�.by their boots and the Sgt Major shouting the orders鈥�.but the Americans were very lacksadaisical just strolled aboard. Their crack troops, Marines, they were very good.

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