大象传媒

This story is submitted on behalf of Joyce Glen, and is added to the site by Helen Hughes of the People's War team in Wales, with her permission.

I was fifteen and a half when war broke out and I can remember my mother and father the day it broke out on a Sunday September 3鈥� a beautiful day 鈥nd they were so horrified. But we just thought it was great excitement 鈥� you know it鈥檚 a bit humdrum when you鈥檙e 15 and a half and still living at home 鈥� and we thought it was very exciting. But of course we couldn鈥檛 do anything about it. I eventually got my matriculation, left school and I went into the Civil Service. I鈥檓 one of twins, my twin sister went into Income Tax, but I went into what was the Ministry of Pensions. And I hated it. My elder sister was already in the WRENS so I thought 鈥� I鈥檓 not sticking this 鈥� so I volunteered for the Wrens. I went first to Plymouth. HMS Drake and I was on the C and C staff at Mount Wise in Plymouth and then I got drafted to an air station at Dale near Haverfordwest 鈥� HMS Goldcrest I think it was called 鈥� and there again I hated it. We were in nissen huts in the winter of 43/44 I think it must have been 鈥� and it was bitterly cold, and we were so cold in this nissen hut. And there wasn鈥檛 a lot to do except for the odd dances at the weekend and that鈥�

My elder sister had gone abroad with the Wrens so I volunteered to go abroad. I had two weeks in London and then because my sister had gone to Ceylon, they sent me to Ceylon. I didn鈥檛 know where I was going but I don鈥檛 know why they did that. But I was sent to Ceylon. HMS Lanka. I was in Columbo for about ten months I suppose, and then I went later on up to Trincomalee HMS Highflyer. But we went by troopship out there. Herded in a troopship 鈥� terribly rough to the Bay of Biscay we thought we鈥檇 all die鈥hen we got to the Suez canal and we nearly expired and of course by now it was getting on for the end of the war so we were going out and all the troopships were coming back. And going through the Suez canal we could almost touch the other ship and of course all the boys there were saying 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going the wrong way, you鈥檙e going the wrong way鈥� and that was pretty exciting 鈥� I landed in Columbo on VE Day May 8th 1945 and we were drafted to different houses you know鈥�.I had made friends on the ship鈥everal friends, but I was the only one who went to the house called the Durdens, lovely house it was. And as it was VE day we were allowed out that night. Normally you weren鈥檛 allowed out the day you arrived. But I asked if I could go with these friends 鈥� because I didn鈥檛 want to go somewhere on my own鈥o I went with all these friends from their house Hatton Court and we went on a ship. They came to fetch us by truck and we went on this ship we didn鈥檛 know anybody but we had a party 鈥� but we were told we had to be home by midnight. But the boys wouldn鈥檛 believe us鈥hey just wouldn鈥檛 believe us so eventually they took us home at half past one in the morning . It was alright for the others they were a crowd but you can imagine how I felt. I鈥檇 had a couple of drinks too and here was an officer waiting for me鈥�.and I was on my own! But it was all corroborated in the end, I just told them they just wouldn鈥檛 listen to us, you know. So we had a whale of a time in Columbo, the war was virtually over by now. We had a great time in Columbo, we used to go up to the hills for our leave 鈥� a place called Diyatalawa and Bandarawela and it was lovely up there鈥here were a lot of tree plantations and of course it was cooler. But my sister was in Trincomalee and I was in Columbo, so for one leave I asked if I could go and see my sister. Now my sister was a Petty Office WREN and I was a Leading WREN. It was an overnight journey by a very rickety train to Trincomalee and at a dance, a couple of days before I was going, some Fleet Air Arm boys said oh you don鈥檛 want to do that 鈥� we鈥檒l fly you there. I was as green as grass in those days and I went along with them鈥hey said 鈥渋ts alright, we鈥檒l pick you up, and take you to the airport鈥�, which they did鈥hen I got to the airport, it was a tiny little plane, minute, I鈥檇 never seen such a small plane, I鈥檇 never flown before鈥his tiny little plane, and standing by the plane were all these officers with gold braid up (their arms) here鈥� If the floor would have opened and taken me I鈥檇 have been happy! But these boys, just before I got on the plane they said: 鈥淚f anybody asks you say you鈥檙e on compassionate leave鈥�. Nobody asked me鈥ut when it was time I sneaked on right at the tail of the plane and didn鈥檛 move 鈥� I can鈥檛 even remember the landing, I was petrified. Apparently we had a very bumpy ride, but I didn鈥檛 know any better. Well, because my sister was a Petty Officer and I was a Leading Wren鈥s Wrens we slept in what鈥檚 called Bandas..great big huts, with open sides, no windows, open-air 鈥� and the Petty Officers had little ones, little cabin sort of things, they were still called Bandas but they just held two people. Now she was a Petty Officer and because I was a Leading Wren her First Officer would not let me sleep in the Banda with my sister鈥�.her oppo was on leave so there was a spare bed鈥ut because I was not a Petty Officer, I was not allowed to sleep in with her.. And of course she鈥檇 had a battle with her First Officer about this and she wouldn鈥檛 budge鈥nd then of course when Margaret saw that I was arriving by plane she nearly had a fit. But we had a lovely leave and I went back鈥�. I can鈥檛 remember 鈥� I must have gone back on the train but I can鈥檛 remember that and eventually after my sister had been drafted home, I was drafted to Trincomalee myself. That was a most beautiful place. We would work in the mornings when it was cool and in the afternoons we鈥檇 have lunch and then we鈥檇 all have a kip under our mosquito nets and then we鈥檇 start work again from about four o鈥檆lock until about six. And the sea鈥e had a diving board right outside the camp and we were diving and everything鈥t was heaven. I was always going to go back, but my great friend unfortunately died. We were going to go together, but by the time all our children were off our hands she had died, so I鈥檝e never been back, and of course Trincomalee now is in the wrong area and I鈥檓 sure its changed as much as Britain has changed. It鈥檚 unbelievable what鈥檚 available here now to what was available then. Before I went there I had one dress - civvy dress - and it had to do for every dance I went to and I hated it. It was terrible, I can see it now, it was green and had a criss cross pattern on it in stitching鈥� but you couldn鈥檛 get clothes. It was incredible. It was nice when we arrived in Columbo because you could have something made up very very cheaply and beautifully made. When I came home I had a better wardrobe than anybody over here鈥ummer wardrobe you know.

I saw Mountbatten out there鈥︹�︹�︹��..

When I came back I had to go back to Plymouth to be demobbed and I was demobbed in October 1946.

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