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I had already made friends with one of the nurses at the factory. She made it very clear that she was engaged, but it was pleasant to have someone to talk to and occasionally go out with. Another advantage was that I could get my occasional mustard gas burns treated without having to report them. However, one day I got a blister across my chin. I went to surgery when I was off duty and Eleanor was on. I got a telling off from the Chief Chemist for being so careless. I also upset him by taking up the proffered week off for a Home Guard course. Actually we were sent to put up some stiffening into the fourth grade troops stationed at Folkestone. Jerry had a big gun somewhere across the channel. It was strange to see the flash as the gun fired, then hear the explosion of the shell, before hearing the sound of the firing. We never knew where the shells fell. During a couple of autumns I also got leave to go on farming 鈥渉olidays鈥�. Picking up potatoes behind a mechanical differ was some 鈥渉oliday鈥�. On the other occasion we spent our time hoeing cabbages in Hampshire. The farmer said it was the easiest job on the farm and put a couple of Land Girls to set the pace. We did not keep up.

During 1943 I saw a column in the paper, complete with a photograph of a young woman who had just been awarded the George Medal for bravery when a driving an ambulance during the Coventry blitz. She had been ordered to shop the dangerous journeys, but had disobeyed and saved many more casualties. I suppose the fact that I was twenty, the age at which she had been so heroic, registered with me. Naturally, I soon forgot about it but many years later we ere spending a pleasant evening with our neighbours, their adult daughter said something about her mother鈥檚 medal. Upon our enquiring, it turned out that SHE was that girl. Small world.

Having passed the Physics exam in 1944 I realised I could not possible tackle the advanced Chemistry from the countryside of North Wales and by then it was clear that Mustard gas would not be used. Also they had introduced girls into the lab which much up the open shower system, and everything else, so I asked for transfer to London. In 30th September I left valley with deep regret and started at Woolwich Arsenal at the beginning of October. There I was put into the Rubber Lab.

I was able to live at home again. I started evening classes at Battersea Polytechnic, The V2鈥檚 started. The mostly fell on the eastern side of London but two landed on the Arsenal at night when I was not there. There was absolutely no warning 鈥� just a very loud explosion which could be heard for many miles. The made big craters and did a lot of damage.

The home guard was stood down during the summer of 1945. During that autumn we were allowed to look for 鈥渃ivilian鈥� jobs and I became shift chemist at the Expanded Rubber Company in Mitcham Road, Croydon, 鈥榖us stop The Red House, although that was not the real name of the 鈥減ub鈥�. There was one nicknamed The Blue House at the other end of Mitcham Common.

My War was over.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anastasia Travers a volunteer with WM CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Eric Fuller and has been added to the site with his permission. Eric Fuller fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

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