大象传媒

In August 1941 I was seventeen and a half years old, old enough to join the forces. One day on my way home from work I walked into the local employment office and volunteered to join the ATS.
Within a fortnight I was called up and posted to Queens's Camp Guildford for training. What I remember most about this time was, that as I was a rather large young lady, I went around wearing civilian clothes on top of which was a soldier's overcoat until a uniform was made for me. This was an advantage because all my future unforms were made to measure.
After my training was completed I was posted to The Officers Mess,No 1 Depot RAMC, Church Crookham Nr Aldershot Hants.
I spent three years there, working in the Officers Mess for the Mess Steward who lived in nearby Fleet. He was a civilian and an accountant. I was his accounts clerk and one of my duties was to do the officers bar bills!!
After three years I volunteered for overseas duties and was posted to Paddington for three weeks overseas training. After our training was complete we were taken in the middle of the night to a siding in Kings X where we boarded a train for Glasgow. We were taken to board a ship for where we did not know although there were Americans who boarded and when they noticed the code on our kitbags they told us we were going to Italy. Sure enough after six weeks via Malta we landed in Naples and from there we were taken to the AFHG (Allied Forces Headquarters) which was located in The Caserta Palace, where I worked as a typist/clerk in Q(Maint) Dept.
I later joined the RASC Concert Party performing as a solo singer. We visited other barracks with the Concert Party entertaining Army, Navy, and RAF personnel. We also visted hospitals.This is how I met my husband Frank who was a driver with the RASC, and worked as an electrician for the Concert Party.
We married in July 1945 and spent our honeymoon in Sorrento, something we could not have done had we been in England nor could we have had the reception we had which was provided by the Army Catering Staff who provided food and drink for 100 people and a three tier wedding cake. The transport was also provided by the RASC to ferry our guests, a car provided to take us to Sorrento and returned after a fortnight to take us back to Caserta. We lived out of barracks with an Italian family (also done through the Army) after a few weeks of being married. We enjoyed the rest of our time in Italy and returned to England in December 1945.