大象传媒

Nora Foster nee Davies

01432 354891

I was working in an insurance office in Hereford. I decided to do my 鈥淏it鈥� and went to the Royal Ordinance Factory in Rotherwas, in Hereford itself.

For less than a week I worked on the plant then I switched to an office job. This lasted for two years. I was approached by the entertainments manager who asked me if I would like to become a radio announcer. It sounded rather interesting so I decide to do so. I operated a broadcasting studio, played record requests; music while you work (courtesy of the 大象传媒) I also read the news when the workers breaks did not coincide with the 大象传媒 broadcasts. 大象传媒 shifts were named Red, White & Blue; I was the announcer on the white shift. Another part of my duties was to meet the entertainers and introduce them to the workers during their meal breaks. Occasionally we had well known artists and performers (Anna Neagle & Gracie Fields)

On 27th July 1942 I had just reported for my early shift, while still in the office, when the air-raid siren sounded. We were so accustomed to hearing the siren and nothing happened that we ignored it. However, this time we heard an aeroplane, looked up, and the plane was so close that we could see the large black cross on the side of the fuselage. So we decided that perhaps we should take cover. The plane decided to drop a stick of bombs that landed in an empty shell area except for one that tragically bounced through an open door, over a fence and in to the police superintendents house killing everyone except a young son who was sleeping in an outbuilding.

The people who had connections with the R.O.F. were approached by Bill Laws who, with others, edited and produced a book called 鈥淚n The Munitions (Women at War in Herefordshire)鈥� The book was launched at the Courtyard Theatre, Hereford in Summer 2003. This book recalls the personal memories of women who worked in the munitions factory in Hereford.

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