My Mother, Jenny Gillett (nee Siddle) volunteered to become a teleprinter operator in the ATS Signals at the beginning of WW2. She was first stationed in Topsham, South Devon and later at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expenditionary Force at Versailles with the American Forces. I have photographs of her in Topsham in 1942, with the other signallers at Versailes in 1945 learning to ski in the mountains of Chaummonix in 1946, and also some while she was stationed at Esolohn in Germany. Jenny died last year and she spent many an hour during her latter years remembering her days in the ATS - some amusing and happy, others very sad and upsetting. She always said she was fortunate to have been stationed with the American forces as they had better conditions and rations than the British. I often wonder if there are any of her old friends still alive.
Mum wrote down a few of her stories. I have typed a few for this site. Much is written about the conditions for the men during the war but little is written about the conditions for women who had to travel, live and work side by side with the men,where there were only a few other women for company.
My Dad, David Gillett, was in the Royal Artillary, Signals Section.
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