大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Allan Price on behalf of Esther Burt Ogg and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Once clerical female staff in ICI Grangemouth were no longer in reserved occupations I joined the Army in May 1942, for 11/- 9 a week (55p!). During the regulation three weeks of basic training at Glencorse Barracks, near Penicuik, I was sent from gas drill to company office with eyes still streaming and skin burning. I was told I was being posted as a cipher operator to an AA (anti-aircraft) unit in London, leaving on the uplift train that night.

This was the work I鈥檇 hoped to be put into. It was low-grade and there wasn鈥檛 really a lot to do. After a few weeks I got my stripe, and soon after another. Then I was posted to a similar unit in Edinburgh.

While there I got the chance to apply to the War Office to do high-grade cipher. I was accepted and went back to London. This was the real McCoy. The work involved doing recoding messages from all over the world to and from the War Office. There was constant contact between Churchill, Montgomery, Lord Alexander and many others. There were 5 grades of speed and also accuracy so if a message came in was marked 鈥渕ost immediate鈥� and 鈥渢op secret鈥� it was dealt with right away. Casualty lists had no priorities.

Our offices were two floors below ground for security reasons and they were rat and bluebottle infested. We worked a 16-hour night shift every second night for two weeks and a day shift (0900 鈥� 1700) for one week (tell that to the workers now!) On night shift we got an hour鈥檚 break and a chit for 1/-. We could go to any one of five canteens for an evening meal such as sausage and mash, and very occasionally a wee bit of ice-cream. We also had one and a half or two hours rest period between 0100 and 0400.

Sometimes messages wouldn鈥檛 鈥減lay back鈥�, so one or two of us were delegated to try and solve them. I loved that job. I鈥檇 put myself in the position of the sending operator and think what mistake they may have made. Quite often it was successful and a source of great satisfaction. All War Office staff had to pass exams and obtained the rank of Sergeant or Company Sergeant-Major. We all had signed the Official Secrets Act.

We were billeted in Cadogen Gardens and travelled by tube from Sloan Square to Charing Cross and back. Four of us shared a room and two of us remained friends until one died.

There were air raids 鈥� some too close for comfort. A billet near ours was split right down the middle by a V2 bomb 鈥� over 100 American service personnel died that night.

If we were off duty on a Friday night we went to Scottish Country Dancing in Fetter Lane off Fleet Street.

Army Service was a great experience. I realise how lucky I was to get home safely, and I鈥檒l never forget those I knew who didn鈥檛.

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