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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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Life as a WAAF radar mechanic

by CSV Media NI

Contributed byÌý
CSV Media NI
People in story:Ìý
Gwyn Harvey
Location of story:Ìý
RAF Colsham Wolds
Background to story:Ìý
Royal Air Force
Article ID:Ìý
A4114748
Contributed on:Ìý
25 May 2005

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Bruce Logan of the CSV Media NI Team on behalf of Gwyn Harvey and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
====

Eventually 3 airmen returned to our work section after service in India. They were trained mechanics and I became surplus to requirements, the WO a delightful redheaded Irishman was like a father to me and fixed it to get me on a radar mechanics course at St Johns Wood, London.

Afterwards luckily (?) I was sent back to the radar section at Colsham Wolds — the entire staff were wild Canadians - their nights out were in Scunthorpe missing the last train — playing poker in the station waiting room and coming back on the milk train, they had wonderful parcels from home and soon had me rigged out with lovely boots and wooly jumpers — lots of chocolates and sweets — great.

I was still clambering in and out of Lancasters and the bombing raids over Germany meant we were working 7 days a week and were getting very tired. The aircrews were glamorous and friendly but we girls were not too friendly as they were there one day and gone the next.

I believe I’m right in saying our squadrons 103 and 104 became so depleted they were merged to become 576 Sqdn. So life went on until May 9th 1945. I still carried on in the unit until 1946 but that’s another story.

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