大象传媒

I am Joan Scott-Allen (nee Vass) born in Wimbledon S.W. London in 1924. I was hopeless at school, taking years to discover the reason - I was slightly dyslexic, yearning to learn but having serious blocks in the brain department! Therefore on leaving school was deemed only fit for housework so I went to work for my grandmother. Then into shop work before becoming catering manager at the age of sixteen. War had broken out.

Munitions was my next post, paint spraying aircraft parts hidden in some woods at Virginia Waters.

At seventeen I had itchy feet and joined the Women's Air Force under age. It was 1942 and the start of my real wartime experiences. Initially trained by Balloon command, at RAF Tichfield in Hampshire as a Balloon Operator. My first post was at Shirley, Southampton, where I was blown out of bed by a bomb!

My first operational site was at Princes Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, defending the Steel Industry. Deployments at Staniforth Road, Worthing Road and Carrisbrook Recreation ground followed.

I have written a book, 鈥淯p She Goes鈥� about my many, many experiences, in Balloon Command.

At the end of 1943, I was posted to RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire to train as a teleprinter operator and in early 1944 arrived at RAF Breighton, East Yorkshire, Headquarters 4 Group, Bomber Command. Bomber Harris was our boss!

We flew Halifax bombers.

I have also written a book, 鈥淭he Breighton Twins鈥� about this period of my life.

I left the services in 1945 at the end of the war. Spending VE day celebrating in the De Grey Rooms in York.

In my late thirties I had a strong urge to write. Despite opposition from my husband I wrote my first short story, "The Cable", which was accepted by the B.B.C. and was read over the air. Then came inspirational poetry that was read over National radio in New Zealand. I was invited to speak on a Pacific One radio programme and the poem actually stopped an alcoholic commiting suicide.

Because I cared for the mentally handicapped during the last five years of my working life I wrote an article on this subject, which was accepted and published by a national magazine, Woman's Own.

Four Chapters of my unpublished Second World War book "Up She Goes!" was serialized over four weeks by the Portsmouth Evening News a local paper. It was taken up because of the uniqueness of the subject matter, as it was something never before before written about and the editor having read a large percentage felt it worthy of publication.

From marriages that included both verbal and physical abuse to bring up eight children, then caring for the mentally handicapped before going to New Zealand and Australia to finally having to fight breast cancer were part of my life. If ever a life's journey was rich in experiences mine鈥檚 had it all!

I am still writing, at the age of 78 and have just completed my sixth book. All of my books are currently unpublished a situation I would dearly love to rectify.

I have my own web site, under my maiden name at www.jvass-author.co.uk.