大象传媒

During 1941 my husband was stationed at Darlington in the Army base. I had a job in the fire service as a secretary. The Government needed to nationalise the Railways and the Fire Service in order to co-ordinate the different companies. Especially the various little Fire Services in the country so that they could all work together in a raid and all have the same training.

Darlington was the central Fire Service control which co-ordinated all the various groups in the area. It was run by middle-aged men "over the age of conscription" and so were directed into this "essential service". I was also moved into the Headquarters in Darlington Central Division.

Eventually I became pregnant and left the fire service and had to move back to my parents house in Cheltenham. I remember travelling to York by train during the night with an eighteen month old baby boy. While at York the glass station roof was smashed during a bombing raid. Broken glass went flying everywhere, and over everyone. It was very frightening, especially for me with a young baby son to protect and there was nowhere to hide. But we just carried on, there was noting else to do but just that.

I remember that women, children and pregnant women were given Cod Liver Oil, concentrated Orange Juice.

The war opened up all sorts of opportunities for women which had not existed before for them. After the war women were still compelled to work in "essential jobs" that is jobs like the Fire Service, Nursing, Aircraft Maintenance, driving etc. It took a while for the men to come back from the war. After the war they tried to make women redundant. Also when the men came back they did not want to work for woman's rates, which were lower than men. This raised the question of equal pay! It was not for many years to come before Acts of Parliament were introduced to make it law for equal opportunities and pay for men and women.

There was prejudice back then though, as when men came back women had to leave their job as a man had an automatic right to his old job. Whereby there were women with children whose husband had been killed during the war who needed to work, but they were not allowed to!

When I eventually arrived in Cheltenham after my traumatic journey I was relieved to be home.

My father worked for the Gloster Aircraft company keeping Hurricanes going. Working twelve hour shifts. Women also worked at the factory also working long shifts and still keeping the home fires burning. They were hard times but people pulled together, they had to!!

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