大象传媒

I was 17 years old when war was declared. There was Peace when I entered the church for Morning Service, but War when the Service ended.

We all had various boyfriends, meeting them depended on our duties. It was not like today when you stick to one 鈥� we had a different boyfriend in each village! All social activities were connected with our camp, either in it or transported to a village nearby. Villagers were very kind to us and arranged the dances, bands, and brought out delicious food during the interval. U.S.A. camps had large bands with Coca Cola that only the ladies were allowed to have during the interval. Very rarely did we go to a cinema, probably because we were always stationed miles from anywhere. Mostly we either hitched or cycled.

We all wore khaki uniforms, Service dress to go out in, and Battle dress, with our Royal Artillery lanyard. The uniforms were made from wool serge. All buttons and badges were brass.

I was eighteen when I volunteered for the A.T.S., and chose to be a Kine Theodolite Operator, class 1, with the Royal Artillery. Kines assisted in the training and in experimental work (C.A.E.E. Coastal and Anti-Aircraft Experimental Establishment) of Anti-Aircraft Batteries. R.A.

The work was only different in parts as I had done some subjects in school. My Unit saw guns only in gun parks in Practice Camps. I still keep in touch with my Unit. We meet and also have newsletters. We trained in Manorbier Camp, Manorbier, and go back there every three years to say 鈥淗ullo鈥�.

I remember the night the local policeman chased us. We used bicycles a lot. Some of us didn鈥檛 have real lights and the local policeman was nasty 鈥� he used to hide in the hedge and then follow us, but he could never beat us to the camp gates!

Another night we came back from a dance at Upton-on-Severn and we had to cross the main road in bright moonlight. The policeman at the junction cornered me and asked me where my front light was. It was in my front basket and I lifted it out and said cheerfully, 鈥淗ere it is!鈥� He was so taken aback he let us go.

We were all very fond of fish and chips.

At a manor house where we were one summer, we were in the attics and it got so hot we couldn鈥檛 sleep at night. I discovered a window that looked on to a flat bit of roof, surrounded by roofs. We slept out there during the summer and roll call was taken through the window!

Medals were The Defence Medal and the 1939-45 Medal. H.M. King George VI gave the A.T.S. Military Status. When I volunteered, I had to send my form to Newcastle鈥攐n-Tyne. I was asked to supply three references; I gave the names of three of my mother鈥檚 friends, who promptly phoned my mother asking if she knew what I was doing. For once she did. I was interviewed in a room whose floor was covered in chamber pots. From there I went to the Neville鈥檚 Cross, County Durham to wait for the next Kine course. There we were inoculated, etc. and passed FFI.

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