- Contributed by听
- Brendabee
- People in story:听
- Brenda Gooderidge
- Location of story:听
- England and Washington USA
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A2249318
- Contributed on:听
- 31 January 2004
In 1941, I was a Sergeant in the ATS at Wrexham Training Camp, and I saw a Notice asking for "Volunteers for overseas service - must be an efficient stenographer." I applied and two weeks later was called to the War House for an interview. On arrival I found seven other girls - another Sergeant, a Corporal and five Privates from all corners of the British Isles, even Jersey. We understood that there were six vacancies, so two of us would be disappointed. However, after the interview the Colonel in charge said we were all so good he was going the send the eight of us! He gave us 40 pounds to buy warm civilian clothes and told us to mark our luggage NAB. We did not know our destination - was it Norway or Finland? - we hazarded a guess. Surprise! Surprise! At the Long Eaton Transit Camp we were told that we were going to Washington DC, USA - NAB stood for North American Bureau. The Americans were not then in the war.
We set sail in the Louis Pasteur from Greenock on October 10th, 1941 with 14 other ships in convoy escorted by the aircraft carrier "Illustrious." After a very rough but safe journey we landed at Halifax, Nova Scotia. There were 2000 RAF lads also on board, but we were well chaperoned by three of our own officers, and did not speak to one of the RAF.
We took the train from Halifax to Washington and spent the night aboard the train crossing the Canadian border at about 2:00 am. At that time, we should have been told to put on our civilian clothes because at Union Station we were nearly run in as aliens! The railway police went into a huddle with our officers debating whether to put us on the next train back to Canada, or intern us! Luckily we were spirited away to a side entrance and put into taxis to our billets. We were then civilians until December 7th, 1941. We were working at the British Embassy for the Chiefs of Staff.
Now in uniform, for several months we became celebrities in Washington. Everyone stopped and asked who and what we were, such as "were we in the bombing?" and "please speak to us, we love the English accent!" One day a lady spoke to me on a bus journey and said she was working in an office with an English Sgt from the Royal Engineers. Would I like to meet him? I did and married him in 1943 becoming Mrs. Ronald Crabtree! We finally returned to England and last June we celebrated our 60th Anniversary
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