大象传媒

鈥淭his story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Anita Howard from the Essex Action Desk CSV on behalf of Betty Gander (nee Brewster) and has been added to the site with her permission. B.Gander fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

In 1942 I applied to join the WRNS just before I was called up. I was twenty years old and lived in Newcastle. I was sent to Dunfermline in Scotland for a fortnight鈥檚 training. We also had to do cleaning and polish floors before breakfast. At the end of the training we were given our uniforms and then sent to Crail also in Scotland .There, I did general office duties in the squadron office.

I was then sent to Mt. Pleasant Post Office in London for about a month to train as a fleet mail clerk.
We lived in a large house in Earl鈥檚 Court during the blackout amidst doodle bugs and bombs. For safety we retreated to the basement. However we did enjoy ourselves dancing at the Queensbury Club to Glenn Miller music.

It was then back to Scotland to Crail, near Fife at the Defence Depot for two years.
In 1944 during D鈥擠ay operations, we worked until 11p.m. at night in the main Post Office at Rosythe Dockyard.
Forty of us lived in Nissen huts with double bunks. We could see the H.M.S. Rodney in the dockyard from our bunks.

Whilst I was at Crail, a member of the Royal family came to visit the dockyard. He wanted to know why the W.R.N.S were wearing thick black woollen stockings! After that we were allowed to wear silk stockings when we could get hold of them.
There was also a notice on the notice board ordering all W.R.N.S. visiting ships to wear 鈥渂lackouts鈥�- 9long knickers with elasticated legs). You see, sailors could look up our skirts as we climbed up the open stairways of the ships.

At Crail, Sunday service was held outdoors. There were about 2000 people singing in the open air. It was compulsory to attend but I loved to go to hear all the singing.
The food was awful but if we had important visitors the food was good. Fortunately, on Christmas Day we had a good meal.

Sometimes we would go on board ships to have parties. One of my friends, a Scottish girl who lived in Edinburgh, also belonged to an amateur dramatic society. When she went home she borrowed some lovely dresses from the drama group and lent them out to us for the parties. What a time we had.

At the end of the war I was moved to Largs, in Ayrshire for 6 months at the Combined Ops. Station and was demobbed from there.

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