大象传媒

I had joined the Forces ------- the W.A.A.F. in April 1942, and after early training at Cheltenham, I was posted to Leighton Buzzard on a four week course to become a Clerk S.D. ( special Duties) At the end of the course I was posted to Poltimore Operations Fighter Command, and with others, we were billeted with families in Broadclyst and Pinhoe near Exeter.
This was the early days of radar. After about ten months, a permanent building was finished near Exminster although we already had a very primitive radar station in the marshes. This building would need many more people to man it. I was posted to Exminster as a radar operator with other young women and we were moved to live in Clifton House, Clifton Hill, Exeter. We were divided into three watches A.B.C. which covered the 24 hours each day.

JUNE 5th 1944.
鈥淏鈥� watch was on duty from 9pm---- 8am. We were working our usual patrols, (fighter planes from Exeter Airport) and watching 0n the radar equipment for enemy planes. The evening started rather quietly;---- I was in the operations room about 11.00pm and we normally had to show our own convoy ships on the large table display map. We were informed of the position of many more convoys starting out from N. Scotland and then W. Scotland and gradually as the night wore on, more and more convoys were plotted proceeding south. The south coast also showed many convoys, many of these were the Mulberry Harbours being towed across the Channel.
We all became very interested as this was the first we knew of the invasion.
By the morning when we were relieved by 鈥淎鈥� watch at 8am there were excited murmurings to colleagues about what was happening.
This, we knew, must happen soon as the roads villages and towns were over run by American soldiers and their equipment------- they were everywhere.
I had been surprised to see American soldiers on the march from Plymouth to Exeter a few days earlier.
We went on duty again at 5pm and the 鈥減icture鈥� then was very dramatic. We carried on with our job of helping our fighter patrols who were flying from Exeter Airport.
Written by Evelyn Pearce ne茅 Huxham 1923-1995 for 50th anniversary of the 鈥淒鈥� day landings in June 1994.

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