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We began to hear news that London and other cities had been badly bombed and almost felt guilty that we were in the middle of nowhere. New guns and equipment arrived. We did another firing camp at Senneybridge and then in October 1940 the summons for officer training arrived. We could hardly believe that Bruce and I could be so lucky. Although we had had our interviews on different days, alphabetically perhaps, we were both to join the 123 Officer Cadet Training Unit at Catterick Camp in North Yorkshire. Bruce was breaking his journey to stay with his aunts in Peterborough and it was arranged that I should stay overnight and we should travel together. There was an air raid warning as I caught the train at Euston? and quite a lot of noise, ours and theirs. I arrived at Peterborough took a taxi to the address I had, was warmly welcomed and fed, but my arrival I well recall upset the children鈥檚 bed time. In the morning we picked up the train and alighted at Darlington and changed to a branch line to Catterick Camp where we were picked up and deposited at Bourton Lines an impressive building with a huge barrack square 鈥� where we were to stay for 5 months.

Bruce and I of course had neighbouring beds in a pleasant barrack room. At breakfast the next day the new intake assembled, a collection of various N.C.O.s, about 40 of us. We were split into two groups and had to remove badges of rank from our battledresses which left surprising marks on sleeves. We were issued with 2 or 3 white 鈥� which we slid onto our epaulettes and 2 or 3 white bands which we attached to our forage caps. They had to be spotless at all times. Then there was a general talk, including the names of a pub in Richmond, the nearest town, which we were allowed to frequent. We had a form to fill in and like nearly everyone else felt a failure straight away because there were many questions, unconnected with military matters which we couldn鈥檛 answer. I remember three questions to this day 鈥� why is the chain a standard English measurement, which plover was preserved, what at a distance is the difference between a field of barley and a field of wheat 鈥� oh dear! Not to worry, few knew the answers. I forget when and how, but somehow we acquired the correct way of performing introductions 鈥� that I felt was very useful - and always to leave a loo seat down and covered if there was a cover, to enter a room with a lady 鈥� which we knew anyway, and to enter a restaurant or hotel first in front of the lady after the initial entrance, to stand up when a lady enters the room etc etc. We realized the meaning of 鈥渁n officer and a gentleman鈥� but at the initial inauguration it appeared that the latter was the more important.

Bruce and I seemed to be regarded with some respect as the only two who had been in action and that included our two troop officers. One thing I learned within a few days was that the majority from various major or minor public schools, for we swapped yarns about schools, of which we all had recent experience, rather envied the grammar school day boys their freedom. I well remember the question - were you allowed to talk to girls? We were but I didn鈥檛. The great leveller was education and we all quickly became great friends.

Five months we had to look forward to and quite honestly, a lot of it was a waste of time for us because after our experience Bruce and I knew what it was all about anyway and the others had quickly become N.C.O.s. What they did do though was to turn us into Coldstream Guards as our drill sergeant was a Coldstreamer 鈥� a hard man but nevertheless very much liked and respected. I always remember when we were issued with 鈥榮ide arms鈥� 鈥� bayonets and in a line on parade received the order 鈥榝ix bayonets鈥�. A few of us had fixed bayonets before in a casual sort of way for guard duty but this was to be the way the Guards did it on parade. There was a good deal of sotto voce remarks and eventually, one by one, we fixed bayonets and stood to attention. 鈥淢y God鈥� shouted Sgt Richie 鈥渋t鈥檚 like a man trying to fix鈥�.. 鈥� and the rest was so hilariously vulgar that we started to laugh. 鈥淨uiet鈥� and we were 鈥� 鈥渁nd take those grins of your faces鈥� came immediately. We did. I wondered how many times he had cracked that one.

We had to do lecturettes about various subjects. I had to do one on anti aircraft small arms fire. There was an arms pamphlet on the subject but I thought it was out of date and said so. I鈥檓 sure that the writer of the pamphlet had not considered that aeroplanes travelling at 250 mph or more are an impossible target for a ground based machine gun and told the story of Bombardier Nelson. I was asked what the solution was and said "to take cover to minimise casualties". In retrospect I thought it might have been a mistake to dismiss army text books like that. I did however think that Junkers 87 Stukas could be vulnerable to small arms fire because for obvious reasons in some circumstances dive bombers present a possible target.

It was a hard winter but we were in North Yorkshire anyway. The snow was a nuisance because when we went out on the moors on field work it was very cold and hard work manoeuvring the vehicles and guns but we managed and unlike in the real world we went back to a hot shower and a decent meal. Occasionally we had to sleep on tables in the barrack room 鈥� hard and very uncomfortable 鈥� officially immediately on call in case of emergencies such as parachutes landing. That was the yarn that was spun anyway. I think it was to demonstrate how life really was, but it was a good deal better than Bruce and I had already experienced, in a barn or ditch or under a lorry in the rain with accompanying explosions of various types.

Bruce and I occasionally treated ourselves on Saturday fish and chips in Richmond, or a film in the magnificent Catterick Camp Odeon with tea and buns or tea and a wad in the Naafi where there were a few young glamorous 鈥� well perhaps not 鈥� females.

One day on parade there was a clatter as a rifle was dropped and Bruce was lying on the ground. He was taken away to the doctor and had a day off and a week later the same thing happened again. He was sent to the camp hospital some distance away. At the weekend I visited. He was in bed sitting up and as far as I could see looking reasonably well. He told me that he had been diagnosed as a diabetic. I knew on several occasions he hadn鈥檛 felt 100% but had carried on. He told me that he was to be invalided out of the army. He was very upset. He was immediately and went back to work for the British India Rubber Co. I believe. We corresponded infrequently but he had joined the Home Guard, was immediately commissioned and joined an AA battery in Southwark Park I seem to remember. We had lost a few of our original squad. Some were called away always early in the day and would not reappear to whatever we were doing. On returning to the barrack room we would find a note on the bed. R.T.U.ed 鈥済oodbye and good luck鈥� or words to that effect. It was a rotten, rotten business. Rumour had it that there had been a suicide 鈥� or suicides not necessarily at Catterick. A proud mother might say 鈥渕y son is going to be an officer鈥� and then the son is returned to his unit 鈥� chucked out, not good enough. Some were just put back a month into a squad below. Some time later probably in 1942 a Wosbie, a War Office Selection Board, was established which was in effect pre-Officer Cadet training and was quite tough I鈥檓 told. If passed the soldier became an Officer Cadet and then I think, rather like most universities unless there was an awful black (mark) a commission 鈥� a degree would follow. We were measured by Hector Pow or Bernard Wetherill for our uniforms. A second visit and we had a fitting.

Eventually the great day came. Our boots were re-polished, webbing and equipment and gaiters blancoed, haircut and new razor blades inserted in safety razors sometimes resulting in bloody nicks. On the parade ground a platform had been placed with comfortable chairs and a lecturn. We paraded on the far side of the parade ground and stood at ease. Sgt Ritchie said 鈥測ou are a right shower but you are going to be the best shower that has ever turned out at Catterick - is that understood?鈥� We replied in the affirmative. Our two officers paraded. The band arrived and we marched off and this I do remember they played Mouet鈥檚 鈥淪ons of the Brave鈥� which we had on a gramophone record at home. I don鈥檛 remember the details but I think we marched past, about turned, halted and turned towards the dais and presented arms and then stood at ease. At least that鈥檚 what should have happened. A short speech followed, I believe, we stood at attention as the assembled company withdrew. Our officers and Sgt Ritchie congratulated us on a good performance.

I鈥檓 very vague about what happened next but we had, I think, on the previous day had the final visit from the tailor and had already actually worn our new service dress uniforms for a final approval. We had our final postings to our new regiments 鈥� all over the UK. I was to go to a Medium Regt at, of all places, Watford. That evening we were dining in state at the Catterick Bridge Hotel. The only things I really remember was that there was frightening number of knives and forks to deal with and we had roast chicken and hock at the table 鈥� wine which caused amusement as we presumed that German wine was not popular and dinners like this were a good way of disposing of it. We retired past other diners to the lounge where we had coffee and were admired and smiled at by some elderly ladies. Previously when we had risen from the table I was to find that I was a little unsteady. The waiter had kept the glasses full and as it was a very pleasant drink we had rather overdone it and I remember clearly that I was a bit wobbly 鈥� and so as they said were others. We slept well. The next day we were taken to the station in groups to catch the train to Darlington to start our various journeys. A number of us had to go to London before dispersing. We had an empty 1st class carriage 鈥� first class! It was a new experience for some of us.

I was posted to Watford, a medium regiment 1st W.W. 6in howitzers 鈥� 1917 and 1918. This regiment - in various large houses and church halls etc was an overflow from the No 1 artillery barracks in the British Army and troops coming and going in small groups constantly. The guns and vehicles were parked on a hard standing 鈥� I don鈥檛 remember really, it might have been a cinder based football pitch. I well remember an exercise we did on Chipperfield Common 鈥� close handy - vehicles and guns clogging up the roads.

I had been there about ten days when to my horror I was orderly officer and had to supervise the changing of the guard on the guns and vehicles. There was the usual gaggle of teenage girls observing just as there had been in Penmaenmawr. I had read the instructions for the manoeuvre and the orderly officer鈥檚 duties and it was complicated. However after lots of Quick March and Halt 鈥� Open Order March 鈥� inspection then more marching of individual sentries 鈥� Halt 鈥� sentries change 鈥� which was a small individual manoeuvre of each of the old and new sentries and at last the relieved guard marched off 鈥� and I managed the whole lot without saying 鈥淐arry On Sergeant鈥� which is what officers often do apparently.

Then transfer to Woolwich, which was a real eye-opener. The formality of the palatial officers鈥� mess, the silver and the mess waiters in immaculate white coats but there was a war on and although very good the food didn鈥檛 really measure up to the surroundings.

I was being posted abroad. Nothing of note occurred for a week or so, I went home once or twice but all friend my friends were in the Army or Navy or RAF and then various inoculations 鈥� then a week鈥檚 embarkation leave when I had my 21st and then a few of us were issued with so called tropical kit and a topee . We tried them on for size and all fell about laughing because we looked and felt silly.

An uneventful train journey to Greenock just down the river from Glasgow. We arrived at the docks and were driven to our ship. The S.S Pasteur, a medium size liner 鈥� newish looking but strangely with one huge funnel 鈥� not very tall, in the modern fashion, but like a miniature gas holder. Ship recognition made easy. We quickly discovered that this French liner was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, when the French had surrendered a year previously and that鈥檚 where it had stayed for months with considerable tension between factions which favoured Vichy and those who wished to join De Gaulle and the Free French. Eventually the liner was fitted out as a troop ship and there she was in the Clyde 鈥� and very nice too. I shared a twin berth cabin with 3 other 2nd lieutenants. Double bunks had been fitted in Halifax and were very comfortable. We tossed a coin for choice and I finished up down below. We smartened up for dinner. NOW, separate tables for 4, spotless linen and a frightening array of cutlery and a printed menu for each course, and what choices! Cunard White Star had taken over the running of the ship as we observed on the menu which had been provisioned in Halifax with superb Canadian food. This was the life. A starter, fish, entr茅e, savoury 鈥� which we thought odd, dessert and coffee. What a life 鈥� we didn鈥檛 know whether we were embarrassed/ashamed/or very lucky. We decided on the latter. Boat drill followed over the following days as in convoy with other ships, escorted by destroyers we sailed NW as we very well knew as the weather was fine and sunny. Then we sailed South and finally east having been near Iceland. One morning after we woke and found we were anchored about two miles to the east of a green island. No sign of life, except one or two launches scurrying around ships. We discovered that we had arrived at the Cape Verde Islands. Now we found that the Germans had carried all before them in Russia and had captured millions of prisoners. Someone in London had decided that Gibraltar was in danger. Franco who had up till then resisted German blandishments could change his mind. A show of strength was necessary and we were disembarking at Gibraltar. We left the convoy and with an escort, two at one time and turned North.

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