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This story is taken from an interview with Leah McConnell at the Ballymena Servicemen’s Association, and has been added to the site with his / her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions. The interviewer was David Reid, and the transcription was by Bruce Logan.
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I was in the services. I was in the WAAF and I transferred to the WRAF when the war was over. I did 6 years and 9 months, 6 years and 9 months. [I joined up in] 1942. When the war ended I still stayed on, because I’d signed on for 2 more years, and I wanted to fulfil my engagement. So that’s why I maybe had a wee bit longer service than some of them. And then most of them in England, they were conscripted. We were voluntary, you see? Women’s voluntary Air Force.

I joined up in Belfast. But my home wasn’t in Belfast. I belong to County Fermanagh.

I joined when I was 18, on my 18th Birthday.

I think I have a record. I’ve been on 6 over here in NI. I think they didn’t know what to do with me. They kept shifting me. There’s the dates of all the ... Gloucester, 30th June 1942. 936 Squadron. Newcastle-on-Tyne, that is. 15BC, that was 945 Squadron. All in that area. Then I went back to number 15 centre for training again. The school of training. That’s where I was when the anniversary of May the 8th, in between there somewhere. Bishop’s Court NI, Killadees NI, Limavady NI, Long Kesh NI, Ballykelly NI, Aldergrove. And I got discharged from Aldergrove on 13th March 1949. Is that a record?

[on VE Day I was] Here. In a training camp. You see, once the balloons went up you had to change to another trade. And I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to go and clean the officers’ buttons or whether I wanted to go into the cookhouse. I didn’t want that, and there wasn’t too many things to pick from. So I picked to do a carpentry course. And I’m the only WAAF that ever did a carpentry course. But I’m afraid it was near the end of the service. I went to Killadees then, to help with the seaplanes. Well, I helped the men to clean up our officer section where we worked. And I learned a lot of wee things. I made a wee box, with the help of somebody, you know? A wee dovetail box. I’ve got that box yet. Sentimental. A wee wooden box. So that’s my wee bit. I hope it helps a little.

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