大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Jean Sharman on behalf of Irene Stewart of Aberdeen and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

I was only 12 when war broke out. I was on a family holiday and when we found out we had to get home as my dad was a regular in the Royal Air Force and we were very worried. Dad was Flight Sergeant 1/c Workshops, eventually with the Dam Busters.

I carried on through the war at school, though we had to go part-time and share a school as ours was used as a hospital. There were lots of bombs, and air raids.

When I鈥檇 finished my schooling at seventeen and half, I went to work in the YMCA Office. We had to see to all the services when they came to use the facilities such as showers, writing paper for their letters home, and I got the job of sewing on stripes etc. when they got promoted while away from home.

I was sometimes required to make up sandwiches when the sailors at navigation college had to go away on day exercise. In the evenings I served in the canteen.

I thoroughly enjoyed it all and met so many people.

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