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I was born into the Army and, when young, lived in married quarters. Therefore when war was declared in 1939, I enlisted in the Army Territorial Service (A.T.S.). Before Christmas I received orders to join the Royal Army Pay Corps at Leicester.

Factories, some two or three storeys high, had been taken over by the army to store all the pay records. Regular soldiers of the Royal Army Pay Corps were training both newly enlisted men and women and we were all housed in guesthouses or the homes of local people. We worked from 9 a.m. until 7p.m every day except Sunday, when we were allowed to finish at 4 p.m. It was a few months before we were able to have a half-day on Sunday, and, later, we did appreciate having the full day off. As more people enlisted, in addition to some local people being employed as civil servants, we were able to work normal office hours.

Gradually, the regular soldiers were transferred overseas. Then, when women were called up to register for war work, the enlisted men, except for a few on special work, were also sent abroad. When I joined up in 1939, there was one woman to about 30 men. By 1941-42, the position had gradually changed to the women outnumbering the men.

Although I never was able to hear Lord Haa Haa giving one of his talks from Germany, I was told he had mentioned that the pay records were held in Leicester. At about the same time, arrangements were being made for three quarters of the work to go to other parts of the country. The work was split into four units. One stayed in Leicester, two went to places in the south, and the fourth to Hollingswood (situated between Manchester and Oldham). The A.T.S. were billeted again in private houses, like the men.

I have very happy memories of my stay in Leicester. There were so many people in army uniform that one only really knew those men and women who worked in the same department as oneself. I remember listening to John McCormack, the well-known Irish Singer, in the de Montfort Hall. We held all our army dances there too. One night, a bunch of Spanish onions, which one could not buy at the time, was given as a spot prize in one of the dances. I would have loved to have been told how they had been brought to this country.

In Hollingsworth, we still had amongst us enough people whose hobby had been the theatre. They produced some very good concerts, which we enjoyed. We had a Second Lieutenant Clifton-James who had been an actor, who helped to produce the shows. In 1942 or early 1943, he gave a dramatic performance. At the end of each show, the chorus girls came on first and took their bow, and all other performers appeared on the stage to be acknowledged by the audience. Only this time an extra person appeared - it was General Montgomery. The audience were all fooled at first until we realized that it was Lt. Clifton-James. It was only after the war ended that like everyone else, I read the book and saw the film ‘I was Monty’s Double’.

I spent a short time in a military hospital. In my ward were women from all branches of the A.T.S. We discussed our work and rates of pay. I realised how lucky I was compared to some of the others. To me the women attached to Searchlight Units seemed to have the hardest time. They had returned to their hut after one air raid to find it, and all the contents including their personal belongings, had been bombed.

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