大象传媒

I had to do war work. It was very difficult for me as I had my father and three brothers away in the navy and marines. My father and brothers refused to let me go in the forces because they said that I had to stay and look after my mother and 2 sisters. I wanted to go in the Naafi but they wouldn't let me. They said that I had to be there for my mother. So in the end I did war work at Chilmark in munitions. I did release bars for airoplanes and I belted ammunition. I became semi-skilled. We used to sit on the ammunition whilst the enemy were going above! I belted hand granagdes and did welding. As we shut the lids of the munitions, we would write messages like 'give it to them boys!' and some of us would put our names and addresses in the boxes. Frequently we received letters back from the soldiers.

The only thing I did wrong - very wrong- was the fact that we had to be searched for cigarettes. We were searched when we went down and when we went back up. When we went into lunch we found the girls that smoked kept awake. My sister said to me 'we have to learn to smoke! - that was how I started smoking and I wish I hadn't. I remember working nights and going to the cinema and my head going round because I was trying to smoke. I used to force myself to have a cigarette. We were addicted.

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