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A day I shall never forget

I remember it well — the day I left my home in Dublin to travel to Belfast to join the ATS Auxiliary Territorial Service. It was the 18th January, 1942.

I remember so well, my father standing on the platform waving me off, as the train moved out my heart sank to my boots, and I felt so lonely. Mt first time away from home…. On my own.

However, my spirits rose when we arrived in Belfast and a number of other girls got off the train — all going to the Recruiting Office, to Sign On.

A Corporal and a Sergeant were there on the platform to meet us and escort us to Clifden Street. We had a brief talk with the Doctor there, and then we all got on the bus to go to Grange Camp in Ballymena for six weeks training. When we arrived there, we went to the Dining Hall, and it was a God’s sent to get something to eat, it was beans on toast, the first time I had ever tasted tinned beans and I thought they were just magic, we were all so hungry.

After our training we were all sent out to camps around the North of Ireland. I was sent to Omagh. I worked there in a large kitchen in the Inniskillings Depot.

The work was hard and the hours were long, but I enjoyed every minute of it, there was great comradeship amongst us all, everyone was the same, no them or us, we had many a laugh together, as we talked and joked, and supported each other through thick and thin. We had wonderful times — all in our day’s work. And in our off duty times as well, I made many friends, and some friendships continued till this day. Sadly many of those friends are no longer with us, but I have many happy memories of them all.

It was during my years in the Army that I met my husband, who was serving in the armed forces, he was a native of Derry, sadly he passed away many years ago, but here am I still in Omagh, and still enjoying life.

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