大象传媒

This story was submitted to the people's War site by Helen Oram, Scotland csv on behalf of Doreen Walls and has been added to the site with the author's permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was called up to the WAAF in 1942. After a period of squarebashing, I was posted to Hawkinge, a front-line station. We were within range of German shelling. There were constant dog-fights between the RAF and the German planes. We had to keep our tin-hats with us all the time. Day after day German fighters were being shot down into the sea. Many funerals were held near the camp. Whether they were for Germans or British, we had to stand to attention and salute as the coffins went past.

We got used to the fighting. Hundreds of RAF regulars were sent there en route to France. At first myself and two airmen got the job of scrubbing out a big building in readiness for an RAF regiment.

The Airmen's Mess was short-staffed so I was sent there. I had to keep the dining-room clean and tidy. Before dark, I put the black-outs on the windows.

Then I was asked to take charge of the bread-store where I had to slice 300 loaves every morning and cut 40 pats of butter and 40 pats of margarine. I became proud of looking after it. One time I saw a twig sticking out of a loaf. I pulled. It was a live mouse. I found a nest of baby mice in the next loaf. After so many airmen had gone to France, not so much bread was needed. They had over-ordered, and the mice had taken up residence. The furnace-man picked them up by the tails and dropped them in the fire.

I was then posted to a Maintenance Unit at Stafford. We had to get to know all the part numbers of the aircraft spares. We worked day and night to keep the planes in the air. One time we worked very hard to get a boat-load of spares ready which was bound for Russia. The boat was sunk by a U-boat and we had to do it all over again.

One time there was very bad snow, which came up level with the hedges. We were all frozen. My girlfriend and I tried skipping to keep warm, then we went out, got shovels and helped the men clear the road.

I met my husband in the RAF.

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