大象传媒

MONICA EDWARDS (nee Lang)
WOMENS鈥橲 AUXILLARY AIR FORCE

Monica was born in Horden, Co, Durham, the eldest of seven. Her father was a miner, and sadly died of silicosis. After leaving school she did various domestic and factory jobs.

I volunteered in 1941 when I was 19 and was sent to Bridgenorth for training. I can remember being very cold in the little shorts we had to wear. It was terrible ~ there was a lot of 鈥榮quare-bashing鈥�. After selection I was sent to Conningsby and Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire, then we all went to Bourne, near Cambridge for a year. I wanted to drive or be a balloon operator, but ended up as a cook for the whole the time. I was a LACW (Leading Aircraft Woman) with no 鈥榮tripes鈥�. My number was 2094991 and my nickname was 鈥楶ip鈥� ~ my friends were 鈥楽queak鈥� and 鈥榃ilfred鈥� ~ we names ourselves after the comedy trio.

I had a bit of training to be a cook. There were huge boilers and huge mixers. I remember making stews and we had 鈥榯ons鈥� of vegetables. I was once making custard and was helping carry it from the preparation room when I slipped on the floor and was covered. The Sergeant, a horrid man, shouted 鈥淕et up鈥� but I started to laugh and fortunately so did he. There were parties to celebrate VE and VJ Days. We had to prepare the food for these and I remember making vast amo8nts of sausage rolls.

We lived in long huts with a horrid smelly stove in the middle and rows of beds. Sometimes we got the bus out of camp into Lincoln or Cambridge. I remember one occasion when we had come off night duty and had just seen a lamb being born and we fell asleep outside and were all burnt by the sun. We didn鈥檛 have many long 鈥榣eaves鈥� ~ only once did I have a 鈥�48 hour leave鈥� to go home for my sister鈥檚 birthday party. We used to go to Church, followed by a drink in The Black Swan (which we called The Mucky Duck) and have a sing-song around the piano. There were dances and parties and people coming to entertain.

I was once standing on a corner waiting for the bus into Lincoln and an 鈥楲鈥� driver in a jeep came round the corner and pinned me to the wall and took the skin off my face. I was unconscious for a couple of days. I worked in all the Messes and knew a lot of the pilots and sometimes they didn鈥檛 come back. I remember one got married and a week later he died. I spent the last months at Alnwick then we all had to go to Birminghm to be de-mobbed.

Monica married her husband after the War. He was a joiner and they lived in Newton Aycliffe, then retired to Gainford to be near her family. She is a devout 鈥楥hurch goer鈥�.

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