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February, 1942

Reported to Honiton Training Centre full of excitement as I had never lived away from home before and I was basically rather shy. Not very good at mixing with strangers either, yet I had made the decision to enlist on my own, not even with a friend! Looking back I am really quite surprised at myself. Our initial military training was square bashing (or marching) followed by saluting and generally learning how to behave in an ‘army manner’. After 3 weeks we were granted 48 hours leave and given a choice of trades to be taught. After leaving school I would have loved to work for the G.P.O. as a telephonist but my education was not considered suitable for such an occupation! Consequently when I asked to be trained as a telephonist and I was actually accepted — JOY!

April, 1942

Sent to Kingston Upon Thames to be trained as a telephone-teleprinter operator. Found it very interesting and by this time had made a few friends who were doing the same course. I was able to really start to enjoy a social life. We were at Kingston for 6 weeks and when we finished we became officially members of the Royal Corps of Signals and then given a choice as to where we would like to be stationed. Three of us from Honiton had become very close so all decided that there was only one place for us — Chatham — the reason? — SAILORS!! Bear in mind, I was still not yet 18!

June, 1942

On taking up the posting to Chatham we found we were going to a camp just outside in a very pretty village called Walderslade. I was one of the lucky ones who was put in a private house. ´óÏó´«Ã½place was out in the countryside. From the air it would have looked just like fields, it was so well hidden and partially underground. These ‘forts’ were very old but I am afraid I do not know for what purpose they were originally built.
After a while the local people started telling up we were all being moved to Gillingham and as it turned out they were right! We were all in one big camp and our operations room was in a very large building, something like a municipal hall. When I think back I still recall the wonder I felt and how carefree I was. There was a war on and I was, in my own way, playing an active part in it. A close family member was killed in 1943 aged on 19 years and other members were P.O.W’s or being bombed at sea, some almost losing their lives. My own parents had been ‘bombed out’ so how could I possibly feel as I did — I just cannot explain it other than to say that everybody was going through the same sort of thing.

My Actual Work in the Plotting Room.

I was the supervisor on my shift and had been promoted to full corporal. We worked in teams and did shifts as the operations room never shut down. The bank of switchboards were manned by the ATS and were linked to the Ack-Ack gunsites, barrage balloon stations, searchlight batteries, observer posts, etc.etc. They were constantly giving us information which would be written down by the operators and passed along to the supervisor, who sat at the end and she would immediately pass them on to her officer, who would act upon them accordingly. The WAAF and the WRENS gave whatever information they received from their ‘link-ups’ — airfields, warships, and suchlike.

D Day

Was quite a memorable event for us, although I should say D Day MINUS ONE. My shift were on night duty and we realised that there was an unusual amount of activity in the air and also on the ground. During a break for some fresh air a few of us were standing outside and the noise was very pronounced. It was not a day or two later that we learnt about the invasion by our troops and allies.

We also went through the experience of the Doodle Bugs! They were frightening as you never knew where they were going to fall. Once the light in the tail went out you knew it would soon drop, so you tried to assess which way it would go! In our operations room we used to plot them so that the various groups involved could try to shoot them down. There were times in the daylight when our aircraft would try to bring them down by tilting the wing of the doodlebug — not an easy task when you realise how fast they travelled.

I really enjoyed my time in the ATS and have very happy memories of my service. I am sure there were times when I was not so happy but I cannot actually remember them! Except on my 21st birthday when I was in an isolation ward with impetigo! My cards had been sent to my camp and quite naturally they sent them on to the hospital. I was discharged before they arrived so they were then re-directed back to the camp….three weeks after my birthday I finally got them!!!

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