大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War Site by Three Counties Action, on behalf of Lucy Cutter, and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

On entering the WAAF Mess one morning we were surprised to see a notice asking for volunteers for India to replace he RAF men who had been out there for some time,

I had joined the Women鈥檚 Auxiliary Air Force three years previously aged seventeen, I had trained as a Wireless Operator and was at that time working on an operational RAF station (Chivenor) in Coastal Command. We had shared moments of excitement and sadness with the aircrews most of whom we knew personally, having met them before take off when they came into the wireless cabin to check their callsigns and codes and to synchronize their watches. During their patrols we listened for their message in morse, gave them bearings and we anxiously awaited their return. Some never returned and it was a heartbreaking task to have to erase their flight information from our operations board.

It had been a very active three years, but INDIA was something different. Here was a challenge to meet new people and to see new places and to adjust to new situations. So I volunteered. They were not accepting volunteers who were the only child or anyone under the age of twenty one and they had to pass a medical exam.

Eight of us from Chivenor were accepted, three wireless operators, two telephonists, one equipment assistant and two sergeants. Knitted out with tropical gear we boarded the troopship Cameronia on 20th October 1944 along with 250 other WAAFS bound for India. I spent nearly two years serving in India, Ceylon (no Sri Lanka), Singapore and Hong Kong.

I鈥檓 glad I volunteered for the WAAF, the war taught me to live with other people and respect their points of view.

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