大象传媒

I left the Hull Daily Mail because, in spite of so much news, the shortage of newsprint and censorship meant very little could be printed.

I joined the family firm Blackburn Aircraft which had a shadow factory at Sherburn-in-Elmet making Fairey Swordfish for a limited time.

The firm had taken on four young ladies as 鈥淧rogress Chasers鈥� to take the places of men who had been called up.

The girls each took on the engineering firms supplying the factory with parts 鈥� everything from nuts and bolts to wings and propellers.

We set off daily in small private cars to keep the Blackburns supplied, and the production line running, travelling all over Yorkshire, Lancashire, and even London, so that production of the Swordfish was never halted for lack of components.

When the last Swordfish flew away, I had no family ties to keep me in Yorkshire, and was made a 鈥淢obile Redundant Woman鈥�.

I was sent to Manchester for an interview and given a job with the admiralty to work for the Director of Naval Ordinance stationed at The Royal School, Bath.

After a short time of copying out lists of gun mountings and ball bearing equivalents, I happened to meet the Naval Commander in charge of our office as he was putting on his hat to go home.

He kindly enquired if I was settling down happily in my new job. I told him frankly it was extremely boring and I would be of more use to the war effort helping my mother at home. As he had been at sea most of his life and was now struggling to cope with a busy office life at the Admiralty, he decided to give me a job helping him.

I started the following Monday as his 鈥淕irl Friday鈥�. After that life in Bath was very interesting.

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