´óÏó´«Ã½

When the Second World War was announced at 11.00 am on 3rd September 1939 I was 17 years old. This war caused a lot of bewilderment and worry for all concerned, especially as to what the future would be. Young people were called up for the armed forces, land army, factories making munitions etc.

At the time I worked as a clerk in an aircraft office at Brough, 10 miles outside of Hull, where I was born and lived all my young life. I enjoyed my work and would have been happy to stay there. The work was interesting and we saw lots of different aeroplanes. Also there was an RAF training school nearby where the pilots trained in ‘tiger moth’ training planes.

In 1942 my life was changed forever, as on the 6th November, I was called up for the ‘Womens Auxiliary Territorial Service’, where I was until 6th June 1946. I had no choice in this, we had to go where the government wanted us. I duly went by train to Harrogate where I spent four weeks training at ‘Queen Ethelburghs School for Girls’, which had been taken over by the Army fir training purposes.

After square bashing, physical training etc. I duly passed out and after some leave I spent the next six weeks at a clerical training course in Hemsworth, South Yorkshire. We did some typing etc., which I had never done before and came away with some knowledge of army office work..

Now we were ready for posting and in January 1943, my friend Isobel and I were posted to Blackdown in Hampshire (now known as Deepcut) and there our future 667 Heavy Artillery Battery was formed. We had girls working as signals staff, spotters and men as gunners. Our office staff consisted of a Major, Lieutenant, Lady Subaltern, two men Corporals and three women (one was myself).

After four weeks we were all dispatched to Practice Camp in Bude, Cornwall, which was on top of a cliff, very windy but lovely weather, we were sun burnt. We were then posted to a gun-site at Helsby in Cheshire for six months and then after to Chester and Liverpool, where the battery was disbanded and everyone posted to other units.

My friend and I went to 28 AA Brigade (which was a big TA drill hall in peace time). We were still office staff and I became a Pay Clerk and eventually a Corporal. I enjoyed my work very much. We paid about 200 mixed staff. Payday was a busy time, everyone was waiting for their pay, having to salute for it (rather embarrassing) but it was all part of army discipline.

Life went along as usual but in 1943 things were changing, especially in that corner of England (Kent). We had the doodlebugs, remote aircraft, sent by the Germans, which we never knew where they would drop causing lots of damage. Later there were ‘Flying Bombs’ which landed on London, we could see the fires from our camp.

However, all this ended, troops were gathering down in the south of England ready for the ‘invasion’ of Europe. Leave was cancelled for six months and movements restricted to six miles, so we were aware of ‘something about to happen.’

On the day of 6th June 1944 we were wakened by the rumbling of tanks, vehicles , motorbikes and troops moving past our camp (we were on the main Watling Street which led to the coast of Kent etc. We then knew the invasion had started and the men and vehicles were moving further down south to follow the next contingent on the invasion. The noise of these vehicles was deafening and seemed to go on for days, but things continued in a pattern of work and we enjoyed life as much as possible.

We went to London for weekends and stayed overnight in hostels for forces personnel. We visited places of interest, even though air raids were still going on but they had eased now the invasion had started and people were more hopeful of an end to hostilities.

My friends and I were in London for the celebrations of the end of the European hostilities, which was joyful and people had a future to look forward to. I was demobbed from the ATS in June 1946 and was pleased to be back home once more.

Another part of this story is that, up to November 1942, I was living with my parents in Hull when all the bombing was going on. This was very frightening and we were bombed out in May 1941. Our home was badly damaged and we slept in the air raid shelter for months, one person was killed on that night.

During all these worrying times we made lots of friends and as young people went out and about as usual in the black out to dances, although everywhere (for a long time) closed at 10:00 pm because of the air raids.

There really is a lot more to this story and all that happened is firmly etched on my mind. There were six long years of war and people’s lives were turned upside down. The invasion and all the preparation that it entailed was a memorable historical event and the morning of 6th June will stay in my mind forever.

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