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Shock! 6am cold and dark and a trumpet blowing over the Tannoy, followed by Sergeant shouting to us to get out of bed, get ourselves washed and dressed by 7 o clock.

Breakfast consisted of egg made from egg powder, a piece of bacon, slice of bread, dobs of margarine and marmalade and a big mug of tea. Then our day’s work started with a lecture in the lecture room by a Flight Officer explaining what was to take place during our stay there. Kit, ie, uniforms etc, were to be issued that afternoon and a kit bag and gas mask, service style, plus brown paper and string to parcel up our civilian clothes which the RAF would send to our homes. We would also be joined by two other groups of WAAF, making 30 in number.

Each day would be spent by PT, drill, lectures as necessary and we would be given three injections for typhoid, tetanus and typhus. Also, we would be vaccinated against smallpox. ‘Standing Orders’ and ‘Daily Routine Orders’ would be displayed on notice boards should be read daily and complied with. Also, when you get your kit, make sure your hair does not touch your collar, if it does, get your hair cut! Name tapes should be stitched into your clothes on everything, laundry handed in weekly and collected, hence name tapes.

All the above came to pass; most of us suffered pain from the injections and were quite ill for several days. Nobody grumbled or made a fuss — it would have been a waste of time anyway. We were in the Air Force and we knew it!

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