大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Sarah Housden of Norfolk Adult Education鈥檚 reminiscence team on behalf of Violet Hammond and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was called up when I was 21 and instead of going in the actual Air Force I was in the Royal Observer Corps as a WAAF (Women鈥檚 Auxiliary Air Force). I was able to live at home and the station was a large house which had been adapted, in Lime Tree Road off Newmarket Road in Norwich. I was in that for a long time, then it was disbanded, and I went to a station at Stratton Strawless Hall. I was a clerk. From there I went to Ely RAF hospital. Some of what I saw and heard there from the injured airmen was too much for me as I couldn鈥檛 stand seeing people suffer. Eventually I was deferred for three months.

During this three month deferment I went down to Devon to see my brother. It was the first time I had ever travelled on my own anywhere. I got the train to London Liverpool Street and had to get to Waterloo to meet my brother under the clock. At that time he was in the army, stationed near a farm in Devon. I waited for ages under the clock, but nobody came. So, I decided to get on the train and make my way to Torrington In Devon. I arrived there and didn鈥檛 know what to do, so went to see the Inspector of trains. When I told him my story he put me on to the police. Luckily I had my brother鈥檚 address on me and they got some digs for me with a lovely lady who had some young girls with her who she was looking after. The police eventually got in touch with my brother and he said to stay with the lady for a week. This I did and had a lovely week. After that I went to the farm where my sister-in-law was living, near to where my brother was stationed. It was wonderful to have no bombs and I stayed there eight weeks.

After that I went back to the Air Force and was stationed at Stratton Strawless. After a while my ex-boyfriend came home and we decided to get married, so I came out of the Air Force. My experiences had taught me how to think and look after myself.

I often got told off in the Air Force because I used to forget to salute. Also, there was one experience in the ROC when me and a friend went for a bike ride to Cromer. It was a lovely day and we walked around the cliff tops. We were picked up by a policeman for being in a restricted area (which we hadn鈥檛 realised) and were eventually fined 拢12. So that left me with a criminal record.

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