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MARGARET BAGLEY (nee Craig)
ATS ~ Intelligence Corps

Margaret, an only one, was born in Winlaton, Co. Durham. Her Mother was a teacher and her father was a fruit merchant. After going away to school she continued her studies reading English at King’s College in Newcastle, which at that time was part of Durham University.

In 1944 I decided to join the ATS along with a friend from university. This didn’t please my parents! I was sent to Guildford in Surrey to train and as this was in the direct path of bombers flying to London, we were frequently flat on our faces in the parade ground. I remember being taught to make my bed by folding a blanket round the bedclothes to make an oblong and putting this at the bottom of the bed with my tin hat and gas mask on the top. This was ‘strewn’ on the ground, when inspected, if not perfect. I found it quite a culture shock joining the forces! In the canteen there were two buckets marked ‘tea with’ and ‘tea without’ (sugar) and you kept your own cutlery in a bag and had to wash this as you left, in a bucket of greasy water.

Moving to Hampstead in London we lived in beautiful houses and were trained in intelligence work and had to sign the ‘Official Secrets Act’. If we went into London at night we could hardly walk on the tube platforms for people sleeping in blankets. I could have moved to Blecthley Park, but instead chose Forest Moor Signal Station on Blubberhouse Moor, near Harrogate. Queen Ethelburga’s School was used for administration and we lived in huts at the back. Our whole lives seemed to be conducted in huts. It was so cold in winter despite a stove in the middle of the hut, which had to be kept going, so we congregated in the ‘drying hut’ which had lots of pipes and steaming clothes.

We worked three shifts a day and all in my section, about 20 of us, had to be graduates. We went in troop carriers up to the station where the ‘Signals girls’ received messages. I received messages through the ‘shoot’ system. All who sent the intercepted messages had code names and we had to interpret what was going on in occupied Europe. I remember when the war was coming to an end the messages came through in plain language, not in code. When we had time off we would go into Harrogate, perhaps to have a Turkish bath at The Royal Baths or coffee at Betty’s or Hammond Mann’s. We sometimes went riding at Ripley. We tended to do this during the day as I didn’t like to go to things at night. I was in the ATS for about 18 months and found it very interesting and an experience, but didn’t feel I was an ‘army person’.

After being de-mobbed Margaret went back to King’s College to do an Education Diploma and here she met her husband, Wallace. Since then she has taught English at Jarrow Grammar School ~ teaching Alan Price who sang ‘Simon Smith & His Amazing Dancing Bear’ and who was very popular for school concerts and also Jack Cunningham, the MP. They moved to Barnard Castle when Wallace was made the first Headmaster of Teesdale School in 1959 and Margaret later became Head of English and finally Senior Mistress.

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