大象传媒

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This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Phil Sealey of the Somerset County Museum Team on behalf of Betty Woodcock and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions

"I was a lance corporal in the ATS during the war and was stationed at Exeter to begin with. We were bombed out and so they sent us to Devizes; after which we ended up in Woolacombe, which was lovely - it was a bit like being on holiday!
About every three weeks about 1400 troops came to do weapon training - that's where my husband-to-be arrived.
I first met him after I had been rock-climbing! I had cut my toe and so had to go into hospital at Barnstaple. When I came back, Kay, my friend, said we鈥檇 go up to the pub that night.
These soldiers were there playing darts and my husband-to-be (he was nicknamed Ginger) was having a game.
I said 鈥淚 can do that better than you!鈥� and after that we got friendly.
He used to write to me during the war. We got married in 1942 in London and I was in uniform 鈥� it was a wedding in Finchley, a very simple affair because you couldn't get the food although, because Ginger was a Cockney, we did end up having a bit of a knees up!
Four years later we had our son Michael.
I wanted to go into the WAAF - I didn't really want to go into the ATS but I went to Aldermaston to join up and from there they sent me to Exeter.
But in the end I had a marvellous time but I was always in trouble!
I had another friend, Rose, who lived in Exeter and was also in the ATS. She and I used to change and go dancing with the Yanks at the Ridgemont Hotel, and of course when we came back you had to sign-in downstairs to say that you were in but of course we used to be late so they used to put out a rope ladder and I used to climb up to get into bed!
I did get caught and I had to do time in the cookhouse and scrub the floors but I still had a wonderful time!
I don't think we ever were ever frightened because we used to get drunk to forget it!
When we were bombed out at Exeter we had to go to Honiton every night and there they used to take us on the tanks and I'm not sure whether it was cider that we used to drink but you wouldn't care about things like bombs.
I鈥檓 nearly 86 now and I still keep in touch with my friends from that time."

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