大象传媒

This story has been submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Christine Gibbons for Kent Libraries & Archives and Canterbury City Council Museums on behalf of Doris Ellen Potts and has been added to the site with his/her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I started at the Royal Ordnance Depot in 1940, shortly after the Blitz. I was'nt bombed out, but to give my mother a break from the bombing, we stayed in Cholsey in Berkshire. While we were there i went to the Labour Exchange and the job they offered was at the Royal Ordnance Depot. My old job was clerical so I joined the Clerical depot, preparing troops with new equipment and uniforms before going overseas. Then I dealt with all the messages coming through on the teleprinter, but because of security we were on one occasion called into the Major's office because someone had divulged out information while travelling on the train, which they should'nt have done. The messages were secret. I thorougly enjoyed the work , but the hours were from 9am to 9pm, but I needed the money because I had to pay for my own accommodation. My mother went back to London, but I stayed until about March of 1942 because I was expecting my first baby. I needed the money, because Army money was low. My husband was a sarheant in the Royal Artillary. My son was born in April 1942. After my son was born I went back to London in April 1942. Money was short, my mother looked after the baby and I returned to work at Godfrey Phillips, cigarett maufuacturer in Commercial Street, Aldgate. My husband died in January 1943 and we moved to Hornchurch and we had to lie flat in the train during raids travelling to London. One day I was out with my Mum in 1940 and a plane came over very low and we had to take cover. We just carried on with our work. In the factory I moved from the machines to the office and became a bookkeeper. Mr Potts came home from the war in 1945 and one of his sisters was my best friend and we met up and after we were married he told me he heard I had been widowed and knew he would come back and marry me.

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