大象传媒

As an evacuee from Clydebank and billeted at Rhu, I took the advice of a girl friend鈥檚 father to apply for a job as a Scientific Assistant at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (M.A.E.E.) which was an outstation of R.A.F. Farnborough and controlled by the Ministry of Supply. They were the civilian workers attached to the R.A.F. Station, Rhu, Dunbartonshire, Scotland.

I gained my Scottish Senior Leaving Certificate at the Hermitage High School, Helensburgh where I was studying Maths, Physics, Chemistry, English, French and Latin. This entitled my entry into Glasgow University where I hoped to gain a B.Sc, that I might teach Maths and Science subjects.

This plan, however, came to nought as the Clydebank Blitz actually happened while I was taking my exams. My family escaped to safety which I learned only after five days. Had they not moved out after the first night raid, they would certainly have been killed when a land mine hit our building on the second night.I therefore applied for the position of Scientific Assistant at M.A.E.E. where some of the men had chosen to leave to join the fighting forces. Consequently the Principle Scientific Officer, Mr. H.M. Garner (P.S.O.) who was in charge of the establishment, had decided to recruit women, although no official ruling had been made by M.O.S. till later.

I duly attended an interview by the P.S.O. who accepted that my knowledge of Maths was quite adequate for the research work which I would be asked to do. I also took courses of Applied Dynamics and Electrical Science at Glasgow Technical College and passed first class. I shared the Pier Technical Office with two Junior Scientific Officers, Mr. Frank O鈥橦ara and Graham White. Along with me they worked with Mr. A.G. Smith, a Scientific Officer who set us to work on both model scale and full scale aircraft. The model scale aircraft were tested on the Hull Launching Tank. Taking off and landing tests were made on Sunderland and other sea planes. The films and readings from the tests, I analysed on a magnifying machine called a Metaphot, which resembled a type of microscope.

In the spring of 1941 I went with Mr. A.G. Smith to Islay, an island about 80 miles west of Scotland where there was an R.A.F. Station, at the town of Bowmore, Rockets were fitted under each Sunderland wing and we flew out to sea where a marine standby boat anchored a large rubber dinghy as a simulated submarine. Seated in the second pilot鈥檚 seat, I took various readings in the cockpit of 1) Start of dive, 2) Release of rocket. 3) Start of pull out of dive, 4) Final levelling off. The test pilot, a F/Lt. Reid who was a Canadian, became so expert, hitting the target each time, that we ran out of dinghies 鈥� and on one occasion we only cleared the sea level by 80ft!.

In the spring of 1942, I was placed in a small back room at the civilian H.Q., a lovely villa called 鈥淩osslea鈥�. There outside, I was guarded by two R.A.F. men while I analysed films known only to me as Top Secret 鈥� 鈥淗ighball Trials鈥�. Only after the 鈥淒ambusters Event鈥�, did I know what I had been working on!

The facts and figures gained from all the aeronautical and hydrodynamic tests done on model and full-scale land and sea planes are those used today for our modern aircraft. So it is gratifying to know the privilege I had in working with so many brilliant scientists who were also my friends, and we left our mark on aviation history through our 鈥淏ackroom鈥�, endeavours.

I would add just one final thought that although our flight testing was often done in bleak, cold and wet conditions and film analyses in a dark room could be tedious and eye burning 鈥� especially living in lodgings with food on points and clothes on coupons and still growing at 18 years old. If we were killed in a flying accident, the only compensation our dependents received was 拢7 for a coffin. I was not issued with any warm clothing like a duffle coat etc. All I had was a 鈥淢ae West鈥�, and a parachute to fit me; and a women鈥檚 salary rate was less than a man鈥檚. However I have no hesitation in saying that my wartime work with M.A.E.E. was some of the happiest days of my life, both with civilian and service personnel who were always cheerful and helpful, working as a team

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