大象传媒

A 鈥淲REN鈥� IN WAR TIME.

I was 18 and a shorthand typist in a solicitor鈥檚 office in London when war broke out. My father wanted me out of London, and I was offered a job locally with an evacuated Bank, enabling a man to be released for National Service. After a year I was restless to join the W.RN.S. and after much effort I gained my release and volunteered. This wasn鈥檛 easy, in the early days this service was very particular, however, eventually I was accepted as a Teleprinter operator, and so began my training in London. I had several postings in the South to start with, but my aim was to get into the C. in C鈥檚 (Commander in Chiefs) Portsmouth, I succeeded and started h the famous underground H.Q鈥檚 on the South coast. We were extremely busy in the days ahead, and after Dunkirk the tasks ahead were the eventual invasion of Europe. In our work we met many very famous people in the Navy, Army and Airforce, plus when America joined us after Pearl Harbour, several famous film stars enrolled and came over. The work was hard and concentrated; night shifts were grim. During invasion exercises, we were whisked off to Islands by M.T.B. (motor torpedo boats) to practice tactics etc. We had some harrowing times during bombing of the ports, and getting to work could be a nightmare, but we all pulled together. We had our laughs and tears and good-byes, but I am sure we all came out of war better people, and made many life long friends; we keep in touch by meeting though now we are getting older ii is by phone and letter, but we keep in touch with some overseas, and all over the country. I was so proud to have helped in the war effort, and we were all inspired by that great man Winston Churchill. It is such a pity conscription does not still exist, it would I am sure lessen the crime wave we all suffer from now, and make the thugs of today into better people too.

Just a brief account of one Bell - Bottom - Blue

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