大象传媒

I was almost 14 years old when war was declared in 1939 and assumed it would be all over before I left school. However four and a half years later I left my insurance office job to go into the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women鈥檚 ATS.
I had to report to Leicester Training Barracks for four weeks training. First I was issued with my uniform, kitbag etc by the sergeant in charge.
There were about 20 new 鈥渞ookies鈥� and we were all taken to a large army hut containing 20 little beds and 20 bedside cupboards. We got on well together straight away, all in the same boat 鈥� never been away from home, well I鈥檇 had one week camping with the Girl Guides. So we all wrote home to give them our address, and most of us cried at bedtime, we were rather home sick. Having two or three injections the next day didn鈥檛 help, but we got over it. We practiced drilling and saluting and cleaning buttons etc and were generally taught what discipline meant.
We got used to enamel mugs and army food 鈥� it was quite good really.
After two weeks of this, our captain informed us that it was D Day. This was a very important day, and a turning point in the war. I don鈥檛 claim to be the cause of this extra activity, in fact it didn鈥檛 effect we rookies. We carried on training for 2 more weeks, followed by 鈥減assing out鈥� parade and church parade the last Sunday.
We got the results of the tests which had been done to select which ATS girls went to which regiment, and two of us were put into the Pay Corps and sent to the Reading Pay Office. We packed everything into our kit bags and were taken to the station and seen onto the London train. We were met there and taken an army car to Reading. There was one nasty moment going through London when the air-raid siren sounded, and at that particular time the Germans were sending 鈥淒oodle Bugs鈥� over London, so it was quite a worry. Luckily the 鈥渁ll clear鈥� siren sounded and no harm had been done this time. That was my first ever visit to London, quite memorable.
At Reading we were taken to a beautiful house, it had bee requisitioned by the army for the duration of the war. The furniture and carpets etc were all put in store and we had floorboards and army beds etc but it was a lovely big house. About 20 ATS pay office clerks; two cooks and two orderlies lived there, three or four to a room, plus the officer in charge, an ATS captain. We had army transport to the offices two or three miles away, coming home for meals.
I loved my work in the pay office, we were keeping tracks on the soldiers pay. After a few weeks some of us were sent on a 鈥渕achine course鈥� to learn how to use a new machine which had come into use. It saved a lot of time compared to the hand entering of payments etc.
We only worked Monday to Friday in the office, but now and then we had to do 鈥淔ire Duty鈥�, which meant two or three of us including a corporal or sergeant-in-charges sitting in the 鈥淕uardroom鈥� all night in case of fire or bombs or whatever. Nothing ever happened so it was quite pleasant listening to the radio or reading. We had hockey matches with other battalions of ATS; it was a chance to visit neighbouring towns on a Saturday. Some weekend if we could manage to save a few shillings out of our weekly pay of just over 拢1, we went up to London, about 40 miles away. A group of us would stay at the Salvation Army hostel in Paddington for two shillings a night, and we had a lovely meal in the YWCA for less than one shilling (5 new pence). We had great times going to 鈥淭ea Dances鈥�, shows and concerts; usually free for 鈥渟ervices in uniform鈥�. The uniform was also a great help as you didn鈥檛 have to worry about what to wear, just give the uniform an extra press and the buttons an extra polish!
It was VE day the following May, 1945, and we were all given the day off. The girls from the house walked into town and joined hundreds of others, singing and dancing in the streets.
I really enjoyed my three years in the ATS pay corps, and although I didn鈥檛 go abroad or do anything special, I feel glad that I 鈥渄id my bit鈥�, and later I received the 鈥渨ar medal鈥� of which I am very proud.

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