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Interviewee : Mrs Pam Puley Date of Birth 1926

I went to Bridport Grammar School in 1936 completed the five-year course and did o one year in the sixth form before going to St. James’s Secretarial College, in Bradpole I was there in 1942 when the Canadians did their Yukon Exercise. (The rehearsals for the Dieppe raid) Our group were sitting in the garden doing preparation work in the sunshine,when we were suddenly invaded by all these Canadian soldiers on exercise.

I finished my secretarial course in the early part of 1943. in the meantime my father had met a lady from the Ministry of Agriculture, who was organising the National Milk Testing and Advisory Scheme in Dorset. Owing to the fact that many of the farming community had been called up for the Armed Forces and other war work, many farmers were left short-handed. This meant that, through unavoidable pressure, corners were being cut on the milk-production side and, in hot and humid weather, milk was going sour. In wartime, all food was strictly rationed, and for this reason the Milk Testing Scheme was introduced to put a stop to waste of milk. This lady was interested in finding suitable staff to train to help her. It was not my choice - I was really interested in joining the W.R.N.S., but my Father could see this job would keep me fairly near home - within Dorset after my original training - and in those days daughters did what their fathers said! During the next three months I attended courses at Reading University learning all about milk and the production thereof. We stayed in large guest houses near the university, and had to learn how to make two ounces of butter and two ounces of tea last a week. It was rather different than being at home, in a house of six people, where rations could be stretched more easily. Mother was a farmers’ daughter and she knew all about salting bacon and pork.

When I returned to Bridport, this lady and I started collecting information throughout the county and, having learnt to drive I had also to learn to map reading - there were no signposts at all and cope with driving drive at night and in the very early morning using those horrible covers that we had to use on the headlamps. In those days of petrol was eighteen shillings and sixpence for four gallons - one shilling and sixpence change out of a £1 note!

I would drive up to two thousand miles a month all around the county amongst the D-Day preparations. We each carried an official Ministry of Agriculture letter saying that we were on Ministry business, but I do not recollect that I was ever stopped and had to show the letter.

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