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This is Pru Nicoll’s story: it has been added by Pauline Colcutt(on behalf of the Fernhurst Centre), with permission from the author who understands the terms and conditions of adding her story to the website.

A WREN IN EGYPT

I joined the Wrens in 1941, when I was just 18 year old. My first year was spent in Dundee as an immobile. Then in January 1942 I was sent to Egypt - we sailed from Liverpool via the Cape a journey of two months. I ended up in Alexandria where I worked in the Signal Office. As Rommel approached we heard gun fire and there were air raid alarms. One day I was on duty when the signal came through ‘Women Pack’, luckily, we knew it was on the cards, and had therefore done our packing the night before. We went straight from the office to the station and were put into cattle trucks - the floor of the trucks was covered in red sand and there were NO seats - we all had to STAND!!. We were taken to Ismalia where we slept on the floor of the YWCA (comfort was not an option!). Next day we were taken by Lighter to Suez where we were put on board a small ship, Princess Kathleen. Cockroaches were rife on board — I stuck to a diet of ships biscuits as this was the only item of food that they couldn’t eat as the biscuits were too hard for them. Luckily ten of us were sent up to Port Said by trucks where we joined the staff in the Signal Office. We lived in a convent to begin with before going to the YWCA. While in Alexandria I got a commission and was then sent to Aden as a cypher officer for ten months. I returned to the UK in March 1944 through the Mediterranean this time.

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