大象传媒

Frimley Green:

They were happy days at the Priory, but we were then posted to Frimley Green and out on the road at last, putting into practice what we had been taught.

We would go out each day, four in a truck with an instructor, taking turns at driving, a bit nerve-racking at first but we soon became more confident. This time our accommodation was appalling. Sleeping in Nissen huts in the grounds of a large house. It had a corrugated roof, very cold and noisy when it rained. We did have a little coke stove in the middle which helped to warm the place up. It was really awful and alive with earwigs. Some of the girls had hysterics. We had to take our beds apart and shake everything before retiring and in the morning the earwigs were in our shoes and clothes, I still cringe when I see an earwig. It really was a nightmare.
Toilet facilities were primitive. We washed in a large barn fetching hot water from a boiler in an enamel bowl and balancing it on a ledge over a trough of running cold water. With a shower once a week in the house.
As for the 鈥渓oo鈥�, well, at the end of our hut was a door into a sort of cupboard where there was a wooden toilet seat, or rather a plank with a hole in it was the best way to describe it, with a bucket underneath. We were horrified and hoped this was only a temporary posting. I was actually using this 鈥渓oo鈥� one morning when the hatch at the back opened and the bucked pulled out to be replaced with a clean one, I was mortified and tried not to use it anymore.
Thankfully after 2 weeks we were moved to Camberley, nice accommodation, with no earwigs. Sheer bliss after the nightmare of Frimley Green. Whilst I was there, I passed my driving test, much to my surprise. We heard that the Frimley Green place had been demolished by a bomb, lucky escape for us. Now I could have a weeks leave and go home.

Clayton Barracks:

My next posting was Clayton Barracks, Aldershot. Jasmine was still with me thank goodness. We both loathed the place, it was all barracks and troops everywhere and so dreary. We would sit around for hours waiting for a call out. When my turn finally came it was to take two officers to the scrap metal depot at Tongham. This was my first assignment and I was so nervous. I got stuck behind an army lorry and couldn鈥檛 get past and I was too scared to take a chance. The Major suddenly exploded, 鈥渃ant this b---- driver put a move on鈥�. The other officer was so nice and told him to be patient with me as it was my first time out on my own.
I was a nervous wreck by the time we reached Tongham. I was given a mug of tea while I waited for them to finish their business. A German P.O.W. approached me and asked if I would post a letter for him. It was more than I dare do and he wasn鈥檛 a bit pleased. I felt sorry for him but orders are orders. Aldershot was only a temporary posting thank goodness, Jasmine and I were sent to different areas, sad really as we had been together since Day one.

Mytchett:

Next stop for me was at the Army School of Hygiene at Mytchett, nr. Ash Vale. I was now attached to R.A.S.C (Royal Army Service Corp) and driving for the Medical Corp (R.A.M.C). I loved it here, all green and clean surrounded by fir trees, ash ranges were close by and it could be a bit noisy at times when men were on firing practice. I was now issued with slacks, boots, battle dress and leather jerkin, so much more comfortable to wear, especially when you are climbing in and out of the lorries and trucks. That put paid to the wolf whistles we got, showing a bit of leg. I also had a pair of overalls, certainly needed them, when crawling under the vehicles, cleaning the axles and chassis. It was a filthy job and we hated walking through camp like that to get cleaned up.

We were all assigned a vehicle which we were responsible for. The first one I had was so old I am sure it was from the 1914-18 war. She was nicknamed 鈥淥ld Lizzie鈥�, it had no windscreen or door and when it rained, I had to unroll a canvas from the top of the dashboard and clip it to the cab, behind my neck, but on a wet day it wasn鈥檛 a lot of good as the rain would pour in where the door should have been.

It was quite an experience driving Lizzie, for she was very temperamental and would often grind to a halt, but I soon learned to handle her, then she stopped, I would jump down and kick the front wheel tyre, she would spring to life and I would jump back in quick before she could change her mind and we would be off again. She had a nasty habit of unhooking the accelerator, the engine would race, but we were at a standstill. Down I would jump again and fix it back in place. All this caused a lot of amusement with the troops I was carrying as you can imagine, but thank goodness I didn鈥檛 have Lizzie for long, she was retired from service bless her and not before time, she was liable to konk out at any time. My replacement was a 3 ton Bedford Lorry, used for carrying troops and stores, so I was kept quite busy. I also had to drive Red Cross ambulance, Fire Engine, 15-cwt Water truck, 15-cwt Personnel truck, Chevrolet and a utility for the C.O.

There was a large lake on the outskirts of camp where all the vehicles were kept in lockups. Our job was to reverse the vehicles in so that the rear door of the lockup could be opened out on to the lake. This is where the men, due to go overseas learnt how to purify water for drinking (it was vile) and how to dig latrines. Sometimes, if the weather was fine, we would drive them down to the lake and back them down to the water, I was always afraid it would reverse too far and finish up in the drink.
My co-drivers were a lovely bunch of girls. We had a lot of laughs together, especially when Dizzy reversed into the lock up, and crashed into the rear door nearly finishing up in the lake. I was guiding her in and didn鈥檛 tell her when to stop. We had never hit a door before.
Then there was madcap Jenny who came dashing out the phone box letting the door slam and all the glass fell out. We beat it quick in case we were blamed. There was plenty of entertainment on camp, no need to go out really. We had dances, films and music and of course there was always the NAAFI, for a cup of coffee and a chat, a favourite meeting place for us. We could get our ration of sweets, cigs and toiletry鈥檚 there.
It seemed no time at all for the service of my lorry. I had a day off to clean it, not just the outside but the engine and underneath. The springs had to be cleaned with a wire brush to remove all greasy dirt. We used oily rags which not only cleaned it all but put a lovely shine on the axles, transmission and joints underneath and also the engine. We had no gloves to protect our hands and they suffered badly especially in the Winter. My knuckles would swell up due to the constant bashing they had in tight corners. It was a filthy job but once done, I stood back with pride knowing I had done well and should get a good report.
I hoped it wouldn鈥檛 rain the following day when I took it to the Transport Depot in Aldershot for its service. I took an instant dislike to the mechanic who was to do mine. He thought he was 鈥淕ods gift to woman鈥�. I wasn鈥檛 impressed. Then he had the gall to say he would give me 100% report if I would go out on a date with him, I knew I deserved a good report and nothing was going to take that away from me so I said yes, having no intentions of turning up. Serve him right, I hadn鈥檛 bargained on getting the same man though when I had my next service. He was so nasty and picked fault with everything, even though I apologised and told him I couldn鈥檛 get away as I was Duty Driver (a little white lie).
We had a terrible winter that year. It was bitterly cold with thick snow and white frost, it looked very pretty like a Christmas card with all those glittering white fir trees all around us. Even the lake froze over, didn鈥檛 stop the water purifying classes though, they broke the ice and carried on as usual. But it was so cold, standing around, waiting to shift the trucks for them.
I had a 5:30 a.m. call one morning to take troops to the station, I trudged ankle deep in snow down to the 鈥淲ater Point鈥� by the lake to get my lorry out, found I couldn鈥檛 pull up the shutter of my lockup as the chains were a solid sheet of ice. So back I trudged to the cookhouse for hot water and help. We managed to de-ice the chains so I could get to the lorry but then found the water standpipe was frozen too and I couldn鈥檛 refill the radiator. You see we had to drain them every night during bad weather. So that was another trip back to the cookhouse, I really thought I would never get on the road. Good job I had chains on the wheels. No breakfast for me that morning. I was really pushed for time. These boys had a train to catch. I did get them there on time too without coming to any harm but the roads were really treacherous and I was glad to get back to camp hoping I wouldn鈥檛 get another call out that day.

I had an awful scare one time, I was collecting supplies for Quarter Master stores, came to a bridge, which I had to go under, it was a very narrow stretch of road. Coming towards me was a huge tank. I pulled over and stopped to give it plenty of space only to see it coming straight for me. It was a learner and he had pulled the wrong leaver. Luckily the instructor quickly took over and straightened it up narrowly missing me. But my escort and I had an awful fright, to see that huge tank thundering towards you was no joke. We had no time to run and no safe place to run to anyway.
To get into our camp we had to cross a narrow bridge over a canal. I had dropped some lads off at the station and was heading home when my lorry stopped right in the middle of the bridge. I could not get it to start again, looked under the bonnet, nothing amiss that I could see. I was blocking the entrance to camp, so I walked to the Military Police Camp which was next to ours and asked for help. They knew me well for I had to fill up with petrol from their pumps. I took an awful ribbing from them but bless their hearts, they came to help a lady in distress, I had apparently got water in the fuel line to the carburettor, how I do not know but they got me going in no time at all
Every time I passed through their camp after that they would call out 鈥淣eed any help Darling, I鈥檓 all yours鈥�, rotten lot.

Fire bell sounded one evening, I was Duty Driver, and we never ever got called out that time of day. I had just washed my hair so I bundled it up inside my cap and took off at the double to the Fire Station, only to find it was a practice. I had never driven the fire engine before. It consisted of an open truck with a couple of ladders, a pump and some buckets, it was a joke of a fire engine really. I was told to take it down to the lake for a Fire Drill, it took off like the clappers. I was hanging on to the steering wheel like grim death. Laughter bubbling up inside me it was like something out of an old silent black and white film. I only wish someone had a camera. I just hoped I could stop it before I hit the water. No wonder the girls were laughing when I left, rotten lot, they might have warned me. I never had to drive it again, thank goodness, I still laugh when I think about it.

I only had one accident all the time I was in the forces. An ambulance shot out of a side turning right in front of me and I hit it. Only a glancing bang, no real damage done but I banged my head quite badly on the windscreen. It happened right outside H.Q. so help was at hand, after taking statements from both drivers I was put back into the lorry and told to report back to camp. I was pretty shaken but had no choice but to do it. I was up on charge then for dangerous driving. I argued my case because after all I had the right of way being on the main road. The other driver should have stopped before pulling out. It wasn鈥檛 as if she was carrying any patients but seemingly I was in the wrong. One must always give way to an ambulance. I thought it very unfair that I take the blame, anyway I was let off with a warning.

One day I was told to report to the guardroom right away. I wondered what on earth I had done wrong. Two military police were waiting to interview me. Showed me a leather jerkin and asked if I had seen it before. It belonged to me, my name was inside. I was questioned about when I had last used or seen it. I hadn鈥檛 missed it, with the weather being warmer. I hadn鈥檛 needed it, I had most likely left it in the cloakroom at the water point, I thought, with our overalls. Then I was asked if I had given it to anyone or sold it which I firmly denied.
They believed me anyway and I thought that was the end of it so it was a bit of a shock when I was called as a witness at a Court Martial, I really hadn鈥檛 expected that and it scared the pants off me. I was told to remove my cap and was quick marched by the Sergeant Major and halted in front of a table full of 鈥渢op brass鈥�. I had questions fired at me, then it was 鈥渁ttention, about turn鈥� and quick marched out again. What a relief to get that over with. In the corner of the waiting room was a soldier sitting all alone with his head in his hands weeping. I guessed he was the prisoner and I really felt so sorry for him. So I went across and spoke to him and was bawled at again, 鈥渘o fraternising with the prisoner鈥� oh boy, that was me told off again. I don鈥檛 know what his sentence was but I guess he finished up in the glass house, I discovered afterwards that he had stolen a lot of goods including my jerkin which was eventually returned to me. That was one experience I wouldn鈥檛 care to go through again.

Our C.O. was a Brigadier General, and an angel, I loved driving him around, he would never let us get out and open car doors for him or keep saluting, a real gentleman he was and treated you like a lady.
I spent Christmas at Mytchett because I was Duty Driver on Boxing Day. There were no call outs, so we had a really good time. Quite a lot stayed on because we only had two days, not long enough for those travelling in distance to go home. Christmas morning we had full English breakfast, what a treat. Then Christmas dinner, Turkey and all the trimmings with our officers waiting on the tables which I thought was a lovely gesture. Fun and games in the afternoon and a dance in the evening. We had our own Dance Band, made up of all the soldiers who could play instruments and one of our girls used to sing with them.

Continued as VE day at Mytchett

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