大象传媒

This story has been submitted to the People's War website by Liz Andrew of the Lancshomeguard on behalf of Dorothy Davies and has been added to the site with her permission.

I was twenty on August 3rd 1939 and I lived at Roughlee in Lancashire. Since I was not a weaver I was called up soon after War broke out. I was given the choice of working either in Munitions or in the Services and I chose the Wafs because I thought it would be more exciting.

My sister was a weaver and my brother was in the Merchant Navy. He suffered an accident at sea. He fell down the ship's hold,was injured and subsequently became very poorly and contracted TB. I remember he finished up in a sanatorium outside Blackburn - all the beds were more or less outside. He died when he was twenty one.

I went for training and was kitted out at Melksham in Worcestershire. At one stage I was posted to the Isle of Man to Bomber Command. I remember the Princess Royal coming to inspect the troops. The troops here were the airmen who bombed Germany - Some came back, some limped back, others never came back at all.

I met my husband, Jack, at Sealand near Chester - he had returned from Sierra Leone and we were both LACWs - leading aircraftmen. The rank is an RAF one - like a corporal's. I was the cook there - we had big cookhouses and I had to cook for four hundred. I remember Jack got good helpings of food!

We were married in 1945 at Newchurch near Roughlee - I came home on leave to get married. Jack wore uniform and I borrowed a bridal gown from my cousin. My parents had the local shop and we had the Reception in the front room of the shop. There were about 15 to 20 guests.

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