Barrage Balloon Duty

Marjorie volunteered to join the Womens Royal Air Force on St Swithern's Day 1942 when she was aged 17. Her basic training was completed in Sheffield,South Yorkshire, now about a two hour car journey from her then home in Rhysome, East Yorkshire, where her father was a farm labourer. Marjorie cannot remember much about the training except that there was lots of marching invovled. On completion the new recruits were given a choice of what they would like to do, she chose to be part of the ground crew for Barrage Ballons, these were large gas filled ballons tethered to the ground and flown above major UK cities to try and prevent enemy aircraft flying too low. Marjorie was stationed at variuos locations around London which during air raids would not be a safe place to be. She remembers being billeted near Fulham football ground and the Bishop of London's Palace.
The ballons were tethered to winches and were winched up and down depending on weather conditions and bombing intelligence. A team of 12 women looked after one balloon. They were all of a similar age and made good friends with whom she has kept contact with over the years.Sadly most of the ladies have now passed on as last Christmas was the first time she did not receive a Christmas card from any of them. The ladies were responsible for providing there own guard duty of the sites and were allowed one day off a week and a period of 7 days off every three months.They had to do there own cooking in their billets which varied from huts to large houses. They had to wear their uniforms all the time, days off invovled going to a cafe for a meal and a visit to the pictures.
She was in London when the first "Flying Bomb" landed but was not aware of the significance of it.
She was demobed in July 1946.

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