Anyway, here follows the third of the memories from fellow residents. The first two were about being evacuees one as a child, one as an adult, so this time we have a tale from someone who was "called up". This is told by Betty and was titled:
You’re in the Air Force Now
I knew my life was about to change the day ‘that letter’ dropped through letter box; yes it was my ‘calling up’ papers with a date for an interview and a medical.Until then I had been a comptometer operator, the ‘computers’ of the day, with which you could add, subtract, multiply and divide, all done by decimals of a pound. I enjoyed the work and the company of the girls in the office who were fun to be with. Three of us were ‘called’ at the same time; one went to the A.T.S. (Army), one to the Wrens (Navy) and I chose the W.A.A.F (Air Force). Sounds more like the cue for a song!
I was first sent to Innsworth, Gloucester for ‘kitting out’, medicals, inoculations etc and was given my service number, pay books and timetables for lectures about the Air Force, its rules and regulations. Originally I was informed that I would be trained as a ‘plotter’, plotting aircraft on their ‘sorties’, but was told at the interview that there were only vacancies for cooks, general duties (for duties read ‘dogsbodies’, wireless operators and drivers. I decided to go for driving tuition and that is where it all changed!
We were posted to Morecambe for three weeks of ‘square bashing’ before being posted to Heathfield, Ayr to await our motor training. While there we did odd jobs such as dish washing, cookhouse duties, vegetable planting (there was a war on you know) and cleaning up!
Our posting eventually came and we were sent to Phwelli in North Wales for our driving instruction. We were billeted in Guest Houses and Boarding Houses that had been requisitioned for the duration, sleeping four or six to a room with meals on the premises.
The first week of our course began gently with learning to drive cars, second week we were upgraded to vans, third was the piece de resistance 30cwt and 3 ton lorries ending back at the beginning with Hillman Hawk, high powered cars which, compared to what we had just been driving, made you feel you would take flight!! Each day we went on long runs to places such as Llandudno, Anglesey, and Caernarvon to name but a few. This all took place long before motorways, so you can imagine the ‘fun’ of trying to negotiate a 3 ton lorry round some of the narrow twisting roads of Wales. Then it was D.D.T.Day, the dreaded driving test; thankfully I along with all but one girl passed. Next on the agenda was learning the mechanics of the car which meant lectures to hear all about engines, gear boxes, steering, tyres and general maintenance of the vehicles.
Next stop was back to Ayr as a driver delivering goods to the ‘flights’ round the aerodrome, driving the officers and sometimes the coal lorries round the living quarters! I remember having to take stuff to the piggery, yes we were self-sufficient in those days, don’t forget there was a war on!! It was a good posting for me as it enabled me to get home on my days off to see family and friends, we were also able to go the ‘flicks’ and the ‘dancin’ in Ayr when off duly!
During this time I had my first flying experience when one of the pilots I drove for invited me on a flight, and it certainly was quite an experience! When we got up in the air I thought it was wonderful to see all the countryside below us; that is until he decided to ‘loop the loop’ and threw in a few ‘rolls’ for good measure! Much to my chagrin I was violently sick. I did get my own back when he asked me to teach him to drive; he found it very much more different to flying as then he only had the joystick to think about compared to clutch, accelerator, brake, handbrake and steering wheel of the car, not forgetting the TRAFFIC!
Due to the great loss of life and aircraft at this time we had a Fleet Air Arm Squadron come to our base whilst awaiting a new intake of pilots and the repair of aircraft; it was also an opportunity for crews to go on leave. That is also when I met the man who was to become my husband, although not until after the war had ended. He was an artificer in charge of the guns on the planes and saw service in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific escorting convoys of ships including Russian.
My next posting was to the Orkney Islands, to Kirkwall, which seemed to be at the ends of the earth as it took a train journey to Perth, a train called the ‘Jellico’ to Thurso, a boat to Stromness (an experience almost as bad as ‘that flight’) and finally the bus to Kirkwall. However, despite the journey I enjoyed it as it is a lovely island and I had some good times. I would like to go back and see it again some day. After my tour of duty there I was posted back to Turnhouse in Edinburgh where I stayed until I was demobbed.I have certainly seen a great deal of our country over the years as since my marriage I have lived in Tynemouth, Bearsden (Glasgow) twice, Dalgety Bay, Lincolnshire and now back to my roots in Bonny Scotland.
1 comment:
No snow here yet, we might be safe from it up here in the North West. I hope so anyway, driving in snow isn't fun.
Anyway, happy new year!
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