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This contribution was posted by Torfaen Libraries on behalf of Peg Gronow, Talywain, South Wales.

I was working in the hotel trade in Aberdeen when the war broke out. In march 1940 I was called up to Dalkeith, Edinburgh for a medical and three weeks initial training. Because I had experience as a cook on farms and in the hotel trade, I was assigned to the Catering Corps. After three months at Carnoustie, I passed out as a B1 cook. To attain this grade I had to build a fire outdoors (it was snowing) and cook a 3-course meal on it!
I was the sent to The School of Cooking at Aldershot and passed out as Grade One Cook. Following this I was posted to Newcastle and then moved on to Nottingham where the Army Pay corps had taken over a High School. I was made up to Corporal and cooked for 800 army pay clerks.
Whilst I was stationed at Nottingham there was heavy and constant bombing — the air raid alarms were always sounding and we had respond by taking shelter or being on watch. The heaviest bombing I experienced was at Aldershot - there was a huge army base well known to the enemy.
We spent our free time playing Tombola — people call it Bingo now- and going to dances. It was at Nottingham in 1942 that I met my future husband George and we married in February 1945. We honeymooned in London, staying with George’s sister for three days before returning to our units.
We were so glad when the war ended —all we wanted to do was settle down and have a house and enough money to bring up a family.
I wouldn’t have missed my war time days and experiences, even if they were uncertain and dangerous times. We all had a common aim and worked together and didn’t seem as divided then. People died in the bombings and fighting and it was an awful sad time for many families — but those days also had something special and I will always remember them.

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