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Life in the ATS

I was in Newbury at the start of the war and when I was 18 years old I was called up for training. On 23 October 1942, I went to Guildford for Artillery Training Service (ATS). The Queen did her training at the same site just after us. Training lasted three weeks and in November 1942 I was sent to Arborfield gun sites — the noise was horrific! That’s when the hard work started. We had exams to pick out what we would be good at.

I went into Telephone and Signal and was posted to 620 Battery, Heavy Artillery RACK Battery. We were split up and met different girls. The camaraderie and friendliness was wonderful. We were together for three years. It was a happy time for me. All social classes mixed together and we shared everything. I was working on the 4.5 gun.

I was posted to several locations. I had 31 moves. Some of my forwarded mail had four addresses. When I was in Bristol the area was bombed and then I came back to Swindon. Sometimes we had a rest camp, because we had to alternate between day and night duty. My job was to take messages in code and pass them up to the gunners. I can’t discuss everything because we were sworn to secrecy. Other places I was posted included Christchurch, Glocester, Bristol, Birdlip Hill (Glos), Newport and various places in Scotland.

Frightening experience

On night I had to go from Newbury back to my post at Cheltenham. It was the rule that we had to be back by midnight. It was a dark night and I caught the bus. I was heavily laden with my kitbag and presents from family as it was approaching Christmas. The bus driver announced, ‘Here’s your stop, love!’, and I got off the bus. However, I had alighted at Lower Birdlip, not Higher Birdlip. I had to go up a lane, through woods. It wasn’t far but it was dark and we were not allowed to use torches. I was quite terrified when I felt something wet on my face — it was a cow’s lick! I had been walking through a cowfield. I found farm labourer’s cottage and knocked at the door. I was brought in to a roaring fire. He wanted me to stay but I had to get back to camp or I’d be on a charge. He put my kitbag on his bike and we walked to camp. I arrived 2 minutes before midnight — which was just as well or I’d be on a charge. We always left it to the last minute to come back to camp.

I was also posted to Badminton and to Westbury-on-Trym. I did a Signals Course and was sent to St Maw’s, Cornwall.

On D-Day I was at St Anthony’s, Cornwall, at the lighthouse — which is now a holiday home, but was once owned by the National Trust. We were confined to barracks so I knew something was going on. I had to take down the signal from Plymouth and pass it on to the officer-in-charge. All the boats were being built in Falmouth Bay. Everybody in the South knew there was something going on.

We were very serious when we were on duty. That was that. Sometimes we were on tenderhooks. When we went to areas which had been bombed we saw some horrific sights!

Newbury was very lucky as we only had one attack. We did our best. The discipline and camaraderie kept you going — otherwise, we might have given in.

We were not allowed to take photos whilst on duty but we took a few when off duty. My mother saved some coupons to get a Brown Box [camera]. I was the only one who had one.

Before I was called up I was working for the electricity board, costing all the cables. This was a reserved occupation.

I was a sports woman. I swam, did the long jump and played tennis. I was good at marching and was always in the front during parade. We were excused duties from Church parade as were needed elsewhere. I had a very good report when I left the army.

Once we were marching in groups of 20, walking around the golf course at the Sheringham Hotel. We had to split into groups in case we were hit — then at least everyone wouldn’t be killed. On 21.2.1945 I fell into a rabbit hole. However, I still had to march round with a bad foot. I had to spend three weeks in sick bay, so I must have been bad!

I was in Coventry after the bombing and at Plymouth harbour. We took over after it had been bombed.

There was only one time I got to go on a gun. This was Christmas 1943 at Elkstone, Glos. We were all staying in Nissan huts, about 20 per hut. We decorated it for Christmas. We picked holly and mistletoe in the woods and took it on the train home. Everyone wanted to take some of the mistletoe, especially the lads.

We had midnight parties when the sergeants had gone to bed. We ate lard cake which my uncle had made for me. A Welsh lady gave us lava bread and we had bottles of lemonade.

I got married three weeks before peace was declared. My husband had to go back to the Far East. He was also stationed in North Africa and Italy. He went overseas a lot

I am still in contact with several of the friends I met in the ATS, some are in the US and Canada.

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