´óÏó´«Ã½

This story has been extracted from the diary notes of Mrs. Joan Dinwoodie and has been added to the People's War Web site with her permission. She fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Joan Dinwoodie

Having been a Sea Ranger whilst growing up in Norwich I suppose it was only natural that I joined the Wrens . After doing this I was told that I would have to wait 6 months before I received my training. I had been accepted on a Wireless Telegraphy course along with a number of other Wrens. I had also volunteered to serve overseas, and was told that I would be going to Singapore. Firstly I was sent to Scarborough and at the beginning of January 1941 went to Greenwich for my medical examination by a Dr Rewcastle who passed me fit for service abroad except for my teeth. The next day I returned to base at Scarborough from Kings Cross by the 3.50 train. It started to snow as we arrived.

I returned to have my teeth fixed and was in the dentists chair from 9 am to 6pm with just a break for lunch. I had a very swollen face for a week afterwards. I came home to Norwich on leave and brought a friend with me. We went to see the Pantomime 'Little Red Riding Hood at the Theatre Royal and also visited friends at Barnards on Mousehold Heath where I used to work. By the 19th January I had said my goodbyes and in deep snow reported to Greenwich for my Wireless Telegraphy course. The course was taken by a Mr. Le Croix and Bungy Lewis and the snow was at last starting to melt. We were learning Japanese Morse Code and transcriptions.

During the next 10 days we received our vaccinations, and were issued with terrible tropical uniforms. Betty Archadale, a barrister was to be in charge of us. The first time we wore our tropical uniforms (which had been hastily tacked together for the occasion)
was to have tea with the Duchess of Kent, the first Lord of the Admiralty and the 1st and 2nd Sea Lords. After completing the training course I returned to the Wren hostel in Scarborough and received the sad news that Ellen Murrell, her husband, sister and brother in law had all been killed by aerial torpedo in Vauxhall Street Norwich at 5am on the 18th February 1941.

I left for Glasgow in early March and embarked on the TSS NESTOR ( Blue Funnel Line) leaving on the 4th. Also on board were at this time were Air Vice Marshall Pulford,
Sqn Ldr Barrymaine ( Daily Express War Correspondent,) and Captain Gerold. The vessels gathered at the Tail of the Bank and picked up the rest of the convoy coming from Liverpool and we passed between the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. I shared a cabin with three others girls. A few days after leaving we were attacked by a Focke Wolf aircraft. Expecting to be sunk, two of us rushed back to our cabin and ate a whole box of Black Magic chocolates as they were so hard to get.

We left the convoy off the coast of Spain and proceeded alone. We passed Gibraltar and the Cape Verde Islands. During the journey we took turns as lookout, played deck games, celebrated birthdays, attended dances in the saloon and crossed the equator twice without any ceremony. Some sad news reached us, that Sir Richard Holt the head of Blue Funnel Lines had died and that the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau had been sighted in the Atlantic — not too near us we hoped.

We arrive in Capetown on the 1st April at 8 am and went ashore to shop and see the sights. We laid in stocks of chocolate and fruit before leaving at 6pm to coal at Durban anchoring off The Bluff. HMS Illustrious was in the harbour. We had two days in Durban and as well as shopping and sunbathing made a 75 mile journey to the Valley of 1000 Hills in the Zulu Reserve. We sailed with the Athlone Castle, the journey taking us across the equator again, pass the island of Minicoy and the coast of Ceylon. Our next port of call was Penang where we stayed for two days and then sailed on to Singapore arriving on the 29th April. I really enjoyed the eight week journey from England to Singapore.

From Singapore we were put on to coaches and taken to Kranji where we were to be stationed, living in wooden huts on the base. The working conditions at Kranji were dreadful. We worked in four hour watches in wooden huts with no windows and very little ventilation. It was extremely hot and humid and the perspiration ran down our faces, arms, bodies and into our shoes. Personnel from all three services worked together gathering and intercepting Japanese naval signals, coded and plain language signals and passing them on to Bletchley Park in England. One of the thunderstorms that were a regular afternoon feature blew four of the wirless sets and killed two of the Chinese coolies. After this we were double banked with experienced operators and had to adjust to morse as the Japanese sent it.

Although we were working very hard in difficult conditions and with different watches we still managed to have a very full social life. We visited the hotels namely the Adelphi, The Rex and of course Raffles for dancing and dining. We visited Rubber Estates, toured Johore Bahru, attended a Tamil wedding, and the Tiger Balm Botanical Gardens. We also swam, played tennis and sailed when ever possible. We also went to the cinema and some of the films we saw included, 'First Love', 'Edison the Man'. During this time I met a Royal Air Force pilot named Rich and we started spending a great deal of our free time together. On one of our outings, on the 4th December 1941 we visited King Albert Park where Rich proposed to me.

We were the nearest wireless station to Japan and it was very obvious that the situation with the Japanese was becoming much more dangerous. Earlier in the year we had been joined by 10 Wrens who had been diverted from Alexandria and contingent of 20 Royal Air Force personnel. At the end of November all leave for Army and RAF personnel was stopped, and on the 6th December 1941 all leave was stopped for us and we were confined to station and the telephone removed from the mess. On the 7th December Japan declared war. Rich and others were sent to Khota Bahru on the 6th and the Japanese landed there next day. However, Rich and colleagues arrived back at RAF Seletar safe and sound. We had also just received the news that the Royal Navy ships, Prince of Wales and Repulse had been sunk. 2300 souls had been saved. Just before Christmas our watch was allowed ashore and we celebrated with friends. A few days after Christmas three of my friends got married and I was a bridesmaid at one of the weddings. A week later martial law was declared. On a visit to the naval base we saw the ships Aquitania, Scarab, Calypso, Mauritius and Tenedos etc in harbour. The Japanese air raids were now becoming more frequent and it became very obvious that as we were the only intercept station in the far east that the authorities could not risk us being captured so we would soon have to leave. At first it was suggested that we would be sent to Australia but this changed and we were told that we would be going to Colombo in
Sri Lanka ( Ceylon).

On the 5th January, thirty of us and 'Y' staff embarked on HMS Devonshire leaving at 11.30 accompanied by HMT Lancashire and escorted by two destroyers and two cruisers. We sailed past the coast of Sumatra, the island of Banka and innumerable small Dutch islands. We proceeded through the Sunda straits between Java and Sumatra and near Krakatoa, scene of the worlds worst volcanic eruption in 1883(?). We finally passed through the straits and into the India Ocean where the two destroyers and HMT Lancashire left us. Again we crossed the line. We sailed passed a convoy heading south escorted by HMS Emerald and Glasgow. We had a farewell party on board and arrived in Colombo on the 14th January 1942 in the early morning.

On arrival in Colombo we were billeted in two houses in Colpetty just about 400 yards from the sea. We firstly went shopping in Colombo by rickshaw and then two days later

started watch keeping just as we had done in Singapore and in very similar conditions althought it seemed to be much hotter than in Singapore. Once again we were receiving and decoding messages being sent by the Japanese. Just a week after our arrival I visited Kandy which was about 72 miles away to see the Temple of the Sacred Tooth and spent the day with Mr. Scott of Malabar House arriving home at 1am. The following day I learned that Rich and most of 36 and 100 squadrons had been lost at Endau. On the 9th February the Japanese landed at Singapore.

Three days later I was told that Rich had probably died off Endau when the squadrons were lost. Betty Archdale then sent me up-country to stay with a Mrs. Greer at Bogawantakawa for a few days. Whilst there I helped to entertain 85 RCS from Tobrok and visited the Kirimetiya Tea Estate. I learned that Singapore had fallen into Japanese hands on the 15th February and returned to Colombo the next day. We continued to use our free time visiting the cinema, dancing and sailing when ever possible. The news at this time was very mixed, friends got married and others learned of the death of loved ones.

In March I went on leave and with a friend went by train to Ratnapura, the a two our journey by road to Bogawantalawa and stayed with a Mr and Mrs Arden. Mr. Arden took
us around the tea estate and told us fearsome tales of snakes there. We also visited Mr. Thompson ( District Asst's) bungalow, the Maratenne tea factory and swam in a freezing mountain stream before returning to Colombo. April saw the first air raid by Japanese aeroplanes which had taken off from an aircraft carrier. We were told to get into a trench but refused as we could see a cobra there.

The Japanese forces continued to keep moving towards Ceylon and the Admiralty not knowing how far westward they would get were still afraid that we might be captured as we were still the only intercept station in the area. On the 23rd April at 4pm we embarked aboard HMS Alauhia, an armed merchant cruiser ( late Cunard White Star Line). We sailed out of harbour in company with HMS Warspite ( flagship) aircraft carriers Formidable and Indomitable, cruisers Emerald, Newcastle etc and took part in manoeuvres with them. This included star-shell practice and firing from Warspite and the cruisers and air manoeuvres over Formidable and AA practice. We arrived at the Seychelles Islands for refuelling after which we left the fleet. That night we had a singsong with the crew on the quarterdeck. We arrived at Mombasa in Kenya on the 3rd May 1942 passing HMS Royal Sovereign at the entrance to the harbour. The whole fleet was in the harbour.

On arrival a party was given for us at a transit camp. There I met a S./Sgt Mallett from Kessingland in Norfolk. We started watch keeping again at Alidina. At this time I received a cable from home telling me that they were all safe and well after the air raids. Once again we made the best of our free time, swimming at Nyali Beach, we were shown around HMS Revenge and had tea with Vice Admiral Willis, visited HMS Albatros and HMS Indomitable. We also received a visit and inspection by Admiral Somerville.

I had leave in Spetember and travelled by train to Nairobi with a friend Hetty. We flew from Nairobi to Nakuru in a Fulmar Fighter, over lake Naivasha. I was very sick. We stayed a day in Nakuru and left by train, passing 10,000 feet and arrived at Kisumu in the early evening where we were met by Eileen Danks who drove us to Maseno. Whilst there we visited Kakamega, centre of the gold mining district. After two weeks leave we returned to Mombasa and and change of billets. We were moved to the Place Hotel.

Shortly after my return I became ill with a headache and sickness and it was feared that I had contracted meningitis. I was taken down some stairs to No. 6 General Hospital and

given a lumbar puncture. I was discharged from hospital four weeks later and given 14 days leave which I spent with a Mr and Mrs Murdoch ten miles out side of Mombasa. I returned to Mombasa on the 26th December 1942 and continued with my work. I was now spending a great deal of time with a man named Jim Dinwoodie.

In February the first draft of personnel left Mombasa for home on the vessel Empress of Canada. Six weeks later we heard the news that the vessel has been torpedoed by the Italian submarine The Leonardo Da Vinci the submarine surfaced and took a doctor on board. Our girls were picked up two days later by HMS Boreas and taken to Freetown.

At the beginning of April it was my turn and after a farewell dinner with Bill and Jim. Bill took Jim as a passenger in his Catalina to fly over us to gay goodbye and good luck. We sailed from Mombasa at 1.30 on the troopship Arundle Castle with 2000 troops. The City of Paris, Maloja and a Dutch ship in convoy accompanied by HMS Devonshire. The conditions on board were uncomfortable to say the least. The beds were infested with bugs. Apparently a few passengers died of typhus and were buried at sea at night. We put into Durban and were taken into the Municipal Hospital for delousing and steaming. The Arundle Castle was fumigated and whilst this was going on we were accommodated in the Maloja. Whilst in Durban we did some shopping and went dancing to the Athlone Gardens with a party including two Scottish Padres. who had been driving vans for the forces in the desert and were know as the ' Holy Grocers'. Their names were the Rev. George Johnson from St Andrews and the Rev. Bill Cooper from Edinburgh. We left Durban on the 27th April accompanied by HMS Racehorse. There was a terrific swell and we were hugging the coast all the way. It was a job to hang on to the bunks. We picked up a destroyer, HMS Rotherham at Port Elizabeth and arrived at Capetown on the 29th, leaving again without escort.

I crossed the equator again, the heat was terrific but as we sailed north we picked up the trade winds and the weather cooled and the seas became very rough. Several of us saw two torpedos crossing our bows. I now took to sleeping in my clothes with emergency pack and lifebelt handy. One morning we were attacked by a Focke-Wolfe aircraft at 6am. We all shot out of bed and up to our lifeboat station without saying a word. Thankfully a heavy mist descended and the aircraft left. On the 18th May we were off the coast of Ireland and passed HMS Formidable a hospital ship and a convoy. We arrived at Liverpool on the 20th May at 2pm during an air raid. After having dinner at the Adelphi Hotel I spent a very uncomfortable night in a train going to the Wrens drafting depot . After visiting Jim's parents and other friends I went on leave on the 24th May.

I now had three more years of service in the Wrens. After my leave I started working as an Instructor teaching Japanese Naval Morse Code to 13 selected Wrens already at W/T stations working on German Morse Code. In December I saw my first class of pupils off to Ceylon and started a new special course. On Boxing Day we learned of the sinking of the German Battleship ' Scharnhorst'. I continued teaching more classes including one of P.o's and L/Wrens who had returned from Gibraltar and saw most of them sent overseas. In June Rome fell and on the 6th June — D — Day. Just after this I saw my first Doodlebug overhead in London, it scared the pants off us. One of them landed in Parsifal Road, which was the next road to us. The Signal School windows and tiles were smashed. After this it was decided that the Signal School did not need to be in London and we were to be sent to Scarborough I went home to Norwich on the 18th August and we were bombarded by Doodlebugs there. From Scarborough I was sent to Winchester and the Signal School in Petersfield. I received my promotion in April 1945.

On the 16th September 1945, Jim left South Africa for home on the 'Queen of Bermuda' and in February 1946 we collected my engagement ring from Wilson and Gills the

Jewellers in Regent Street, London. We were married at Applegarth Church, Dinwoodie by the Rev. Bill Cooper whom we met in South Africa. It was a complete coincidence that Jim's family were former parishioners at that church and that Bill had been appointed there.

All twenty of us girls who went to Singapore have always kept in touch with one another. Eight of us are still alive and still talk to one another regularly.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.