大象传媒

I was 17 and a years old in 1940 when I signed up with the WAAF. It caused trouble as my father thought that I should help with the war effort from home. My family ran 3 quarries in and around Sheffield producing Ganister, a clay-like material used to line the high-tensile crucibles that were used for making steel. I didn`t listen and joined up.

So, from a sheltered life in a small village attending the local school, on to Art College in Sheffield, my new life was a major shock. I eventually found myself in a Nissan Hut housing 16 girls from very mixed backgrounds. It was a great leveller and soon we were all queueing for terrible food and hobnobbing with the drinkers at the NAAFI.

I was quickly assessed as a qualified driver. At home I had been expected to move and park lorries so the skill of double-de-clutching was second nature to me. I was posted out to RAF Finningley, near Doncaster. I was then moved on to Castle Donington - a RAF bomber station. From here flew the `Wellingtons` - the original bombers in the UK. They had a seven-man crew, mostly of our tender age. The poor lads hadn`t much chance against the well organised Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe were greatly respected for their pin-point bombing even though we were the recipients.

I was the first WAAF at Castle Donington. There were 600 airmen building an aerodrome and I was the only qualified driver to start with. There were men drivers but they were doing other jobs. A few days later two more girls arrived and they became my best friends. At the dinner dances around Xmas and New Year the men were queueing up for a dance as the females were in such short supply. I was spoiled rotten !

I then got engaged to my first love - Pilot Officer Eric Hawkins. He was a navigator and was shot down(all crew lost)two nights before our wedding. They were coming back from one of the first bombing raids over Italy. I think it was Turin.They went down over the Pyrenees. The Pope sent out people to search for the wreck and it was found 18 months later complete with the skeletons of the crew. I later had a letter from the Papal Office confirming the aeroplane number.

By now I was driving a `crew bus` taking the lads out to the `kites`.The planes were the mighty Lancasters. They flew to Berlin every night - and returned in full what the German bombers had done to us at home! God Bless Bomber Command - we won the war. I am proud to have helped. I married in the last year of the war. My husband was Warrant Officer Stan Haywood D.F.C. and Bar. He did some `ops` whilst at White Waltham,Lincs. flying on 10 raids to Berlin in Wellingtons and then another 30 over Berlin, Dresden and Cologne flying Lancasters.He was a Flying Instructor when I met him. His career in the RAF went - Pilot Officer,Flying Officer,Flight Lieutenant, Squadron Leader. We kept in touch with some of his crew members long after the war finished. His crew thought that he was wonderful. During raids planes to the left and the right were being hit and shot down. Stan was very good at `ducking and diving`and ALWAYS got them home safely.

We `lived out` at Castle Donington(now East Midlands airport). 9 weeks later I was posted to France. Stan said ,"You`re not bl**** going, we`ve done our bit." However, matters were taken out of our hands - I became pregnant. That was the one sure way of leaving the WAAF. I never went to France. When flying was cancelled due to bad weather, we went`on the town` to the local pub - later the Sergeant`s Mess. Some even made it to the Officer`s Mess! Those were the days. I`m glad I didn`t miss it.

My husband lived to the age of 72 and worked for the Kenning Car Company. His medals and log books went to Melbourne,Australia, about 20 years ago when my eldest son emigrated. I am 82, and still going strong.

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