´óÏó´«Ã½

This story has been added to the People’s War website by Micheline Stevens on behalf of Pauline BEADEL (nee PITHER). Pauline has given her permission and understands the sites terms and conditions.

‘I was a WREN for two years in the latter part of the war, stationed at St Merryn, Fleet Air Arm. Much to my disappointment we were not ‘pussa’ Royal Navy. My friend Betty, later Mrs Graham Hill, had not long been stationed there when we went on a liberty trip to Newquay. We were told to return to our billet in the Hotel Treglos, in Constantine Bay, by ten o'clock. We missed the boat [transport] but had to get back to our billet so we caught a bus to St Eval, the RAF base, hoping to get another bus but we couldn't so two young RAF chaps offered to walk with us to our billet. We walked about ten miles along the coast road to Constantine Bay. We got there over two hours late and as punishment we had to report to the duty officer at 10pm every night for a week, which was light punishment because we had walked so far to get back.

We had great fun stationed there. Then one year, about twenty years later, I was on a trip to Swanage and in one of the tea shops I met the woman who had been my 3rd Officer. Although we had not kept in touch we each recognized the other. We were ships that passed in the night. '

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