大象传媒

This story is submitted by a volunteer on behalf of Radio Bristol Action Desk at City of Bristol College

I came from the country in East Harptree from a big family and the only job in those days was domestic service so I volunteered with the ATS when I was 16. On the first big air raid on Sunday night November 24th 1940, I was waiting for a bus in the centre to go back to my job and I missed my bus so I went to a little cafe called Farmer Giles Milk Bar which was next door to the Hippodrome. A man asked if I'd like a drink. I said no thank you. When we came out there was flares dropping and everyone was running in all directions - the start of a very bad raid - the worst so far. We went to the air raid shelter where the man's family lived nearby - it was under what is now the Old Vic. So I met my future husband's family - we clicked straight away. In the middle of the night the all clear went and we went out to lool at the fires, then it started again so we had to rush back again. We went out with each other regularly and I was called up on Valentines day in February 1941 - my husband wasn't going to the marines until the following December and I didn't want to leave him, but I had to go to Aldermaston for training. He gave me a Valentines card before I left - I still have it - it's 63 years old and it comes out every year.

All I could do was cooking so I joined the ATS as a cook. Instead of the 2 months training it should have been, they were so short of staff that I was back the following Friday and when I walked in to my husband's house and saw my husband he had the shock of his life that I was back.

Later I got sent to Purdown gunsite. The troops were fed well there. They used to queue up for hot doughnuts for elenvenses, covered in sugar. They really lived good up there. Then I went to different stations around Bristol and Portishead - we used to cover for people who were ill. We got married in 1942 and my husband was stationed in Plymouth with the Royal Marines for a whlie. I didn't want to stay in the army when I was married - the only way to leave was to get pregnant. So I got transferred to Plymouth and 2 years later we had our first baby - we ended up having 2 daughters and celebrated our diamond wedding anniversary 3 years ago.

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