Wartime Memories of a WAAF Pt 2, VEDay - End of the War

This continues the story "Wartime Memories of a WAAF - 1939-VEDay"

We settled down again because of course the war with Japan was still going on. One of our colleagues received posting to the Far East despite the fact that he had already served four years in Europe. His girl friend went A.W.O.L. to spend the last days with him and to wave goodbye as he embarked. When she came back she was charged with being absent without leave and was confined to camp for a few weeks which she accepted gracefully. Three months later when V.J.Day was announced there was more celebrating together with great feelings of relief.

This of course meant that my job had come to an end again, we were soon posted to other stations leaving all our friends again. My new location was in Norfolk and because of my previous experience I was placed in the Orderly Room which I had to tolerate until I was demobbed. The camp was a long way from the nearest town so we were given transport into Norwich at weekends. One Sunday morning I skipped church parade, not deliberately but having always worked odd night and day duties when we were excused this I just forgot about it. As a result I was given the punishment of scrubbing the N.A.A.F.I. floor. My friends had a good laugh at this.
All this time Jack and I had written to each other every day, sometimes I was writing by torchlight after lights out. I don’t know how Jack managed in the desert but the letters kept coming He said mine usually arrived in bulk. We had become engaged by proxy and I was looking forward to seeing him again. We had been separated for four years and sometimes I wondered what he looked like now. One afternoon while I was at work in the Orderly Room the Sergeant answered the ‘phone then told me there was a call for me in the officer’s room. She passed the ‘phone to me and left the room. It was Jack and at the sound of his voice I burst into tears. Everything came flooding back. The sound of his voice was so familiar as if he had never been away. as well as with relief for his safety. He had flown back to this country and was at an airfield near London. He said he would come to see me as soon as possible. I walked back into the Orderly Room with my face still wet and immediately everyone was full of concern and asked if I had had bad news. “No! I said, “Very good news!” A few days later he rang from the local railway station and was on his way. I rushed off down the road to meet him and when he appeared round a bend in the country lane we embraced enthusiastically, watched by a smiling farmer. Three months later we were married.

I have many more memories, some happy, some sad but Memories of the Second World War will stay with me always.

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