大象传媒

At the outbreak of war Moira was at school, but soon after became a shorthand typist at Lingfords, the baking powder producer, in Bishop Auckland. Her pay was 1/- (1 shilling = 5p) a day.

In 1943, aged 18, she joined the Womens Royal Air Force and commenced basic training at Wimslow, Cheshire. The time in training was taken up mainly with learning to march (which she enjoyed). She also remembers having to go on runs, some of them when the trainees had to wear their gas masks. All the instructors were men and although most were polite, one (a Canadian) bullied the young ladies.

Eventually Moira became a typist for the Commanding Officer at a RAF Station near Andover, Hampshire. She enjoyed going to dances at a US Air Force base nearby and was surprised at the amount of food available and especially an abundance of oranges. The Air Force girls were advised not to dance with the black soldiers and airmen as this caused fights and she was taken aback by the segregation between the white and black Americans. She became friendly with one American and took him to her home in Bishop Auckland at Christmas. She later lost contact with him but for many years thereafter a food parcel arrived at her parents home each Christmas. She said that she never got too attached to pilots as many never came back, and she saw the grief others endured.

Moira left the services in 1947 and was demobbed in Blackpool. Her father collected her and they drove back to Bishop Auckland where she took up her former employment at Lingfords. She has lived in Bishop Auckland ever since. Moira still has a girlfriend from those days of 60 years ago and they phone each other regularly.

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