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No choice — ATS!

Nottingham 1942: Called up at 19 — into the ATS.

Pontefract: - Assessment tests, injections, issue of complete army uniform.
Kami-knickers to Khaki bloomers in one day!
Square - bashing in greatcoats in January — sore arms, sore feet, cold.

Camberley: 6 weeks at the double on camp. Learning to drive - from 'bugs small cars' and 'Tilleys small vans', to lorries. Mechanics basic.

Bulford — more mechanics and tyre changing etc. Big lorries and staff cars to drive. Decontamination of vehicles in case of gas. Map reading — there were no sign posts.
1" of headlights only .

Salisbury:- mainly staff car driving. Get orders for the next day, work out route, pick up passenger, then away, sometimes overnight. Accomodation AT YWCA s much sought after, or the home of a kind lady, by word of mouth. We were allowed 1s/6d a night, I think. We covered north to Oxford area, occasionally to London and west as far as Land's End. I learned a lot.

I was not demobbed until 1947. The beaches in many areas had been mined and ammunition dumps had to be dealt with. There were hospital visits, organisation of personnel and many other things to do. So war for us did not finish in 1945.

This story was submitted to the People's War website by a volunteer from AWLHRG on behalf of Beryl Boyle and has been added to this site with her permission. She fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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