´óÏó´«Ã½

I was 18 years old when war was declared.

The sirens started and all at once — doors were flung open and people old and young flocked into the street. No one knew what it was about — but someone must have heard it on the radio, as they told us: ‘Go home. It’s just a trial run.’

We became used to the sirens and knew they meant German bomber planes were in that vicinity.

My friends of both sexes were deciding what they would volunteer for. I told my family I wanted to do nursing.

I was working as a book-keeper and wages clerk for a small boiled sweet factory in Slough, just west of London. I have always enjoyed working with figures — and the job suited me fine — but I had to tell my boss that I had volunteered for nursing. He was most upset and asked me if I could find a replacement. There was a girl of my own age the recruitment centre had sent to work in the factory. So I asked her if she would rather work in the office. She was most pleased to.

So I took her into the office. Keeping the Account Books was not too difficult, but being a wage clerk was more difficult — what with Pay As You Earn and deducting Tax and Stamp Money from everyone’s payslips. But she got the hang of it and I said I would pop in whenever I could.

I started as a ‘Volunteer Nurse’, with those words on my uniform. Before I left my boss Mr Peters told the girl — Lotte — that when she did the Pay Roll on Friday she should put my name, P Wright, on the list for the amount of £2 weekly (or thereabouts). Then when she went to the Post Office to get the Insurance Stamps for the staff, she should put this money into a Post Office Account for me. This meant that I would have a little nest egg for when the War was over — and that my job would still be open. It was a most generous offer.

I returned to the office when the War ended and stayed working there until I got married in January 1948. I enjoyed nursing - but the pay was poor.

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