GWEN CROCKERS STORY 1938-1946

Written longhand by my mother Gwen Heap, I have sent it in on her behalf, Any items in brackets have been added by me (Alex Heap)

Gwen Heap Ne Crocker Born 30th May 1921

MUNICH

At Munich weekend Sept 1938 Iwas 17 living with my perants at Gospel Oak, Hampstead.
My perants thought everything would go wrong and Hitler would bomb London to smitherines that night.
Mr Baldwin said that the Bomber would always get through. We got into the Austin 10 my mother had just bought and learned to drive.At Harpenden we stayed in a hotel, Mr Chamberlain waved his bit of paper and we drove home.

The day after Munich I started work as a civil sevant in Min of Health at 31 s 11d a week

Then I belive every one from the government down went on a war preparation, gas masks, sandbags, trenches, air raid shelters, air raid wardens, look outs, fire fighters, Dads army, evacuation of children and businesses were all organised and ready.The RADAR chain was completed although no one knew about this at the time. My mother had a concrete air raid shelter built in the garden at our own expense and tried to make a gas proof room .(Sneered at by the neighbours but they changed thier tune in 1940).

THE DAY WAR BROKE OUT 3rd Sept 1939
We once agiain drove out of London to Chorley Wood and plonked ourselves on my Aunt ,Uncle and two children. Not a good idea, while Chamberlain was braodcasting at 11 on Sunday Morning my Mother and her Sister who had terrible tempers and did not get on were shrieking at each other. I was so anoyed I shouted at them to stop, there was a war on! (The first time she stood up to her mother like that)

My perants bought a bungalow in Amersham. During 1940 I worked in the offices of a film studio in Borehamwood taken over by the Ministry of Health, a lovely modern 1930s building. Some hundreds worked there and we had to have parses to get in. The only Battle of Britain I saw were the trails in the sky. I felt I had abandoned London and was doing a useless boaring job. I discovered that engines for Halifax Bombers were being made in the large square film studios in the fields behind the offices so perhaps we were of some use as a blind.

In 1941 I got a job in Rickmansworth at a sector office of the Emergancy Medical Service, located in an ordinary house. London was divided into sectors based on hospitals, ours was the Middlesex.
In an area stretching out into the country all Hospitals Private and Local Authority were taken over and had to keep a number of beds empty for casualties from London. Every day we phoned them all for their Bed States,We worked 24hr on shifts. We were prepared for more casualties than actually happened. When this office closed down I volunteered for London and worked in the Accountant Generals Department, paying out money to all the hospitals. Forms, forms, forms all the way. I had long journeys from Amersham to Westminster and started work at 08.30. If I ran very hard and was lucky I caught the 16.55 from Marylebone non-stop to Amersham (LNER) It was packed solid and we sometimes had to stand all the way, In those days we worked 09.00 to 13.00 on Saturdays. You signed a book and at clock in time a red line was drawn, after that you were late.
Before he War all women in Government employment left their job on marriage.During the War some were kept on tho take the place of men called up.

In June 1942 I was called up. I felt quite pleased to be doing something for the war effort but apprihensive at leaving home for the first time. I was a shy, nervous and pretty ignorant only child.
I signed on at Chesham had a medical. The first time I ever had an eye test (aged 21) and was horrified to find I was nearly blind in my right eye. No notice taken, if you were warm you were in!!I got glasses right away. By special train to Gloucester where we were kitted out and sorted out, some women were nearly sub-normal and entirely unsuited.To Morecambe for a months square bashing, billeted on a land lady who prefered the Boys. A jolly group, had a great laugh together, injections for God knows what, PE, Church parades, marching etc. Our Flight Sergent said we marched like a lot of pregnant ducks! Sang songs like “I’v got sixpence”, were very proud at Passing Out Parade. Signed the Official Secrets Act, we were all going into plotting at Operation Rooms.

In September 1942 was sent to Northolt, Ruislip Gardens, signed in at Northolt Aerodrome.In huts at first then to Operations Room at Eastcote Place, large house, Polish Officers Mess, out of bounds to Other Ranks. Beautiful grounds, swmming pool and greenhouses looked after by the previous gardeners. Billeted in the Lodge a nice house in Eastcote Road.Trained in plotting at Emergancy Ops Room, a shop near Ruislip Manor Station by Sergant Wright passed LACW(Leading Aircrafts Woman) Clerk S.D. The S.D. meant special duties but we always told people it meant Secretarial Duties, could never tell anyone what we were really doing including our perants. Northolt was a completly Polish Station. In the Ops Room we always had a Polish Controller in contact with the Pilots and an English controller in charge.

There were 4 crew all billeted nearby Cheney Street, Hornend etc. Shifts 08.00 - 13.00, 13.00 - 18.00, 18.00 - 22.00 and 22.00 -08.00 Our mess was in Highgrove House it is still there).The food was ok if a bit stoggey. Four of us in room, Joyce Warren, Joyce Settle, Concilia Hayter and me. Got on famously, never laughed so much in my life.Took turns at duty dogs body. Sent to main camp to do a week in the kitchens sometimes. Resented this,it was really for people on Jankers (On a charge).
The kitchen was hot and steamy, full of cockroaches.

The Ops Room was in some sort of squash court next to the main house. PBX telephones, sometimes did duty in the house. Always picked up by transport although only round the corner. Polish drivers Mad Tad, drove like a maniac. Best Blues for Church Parade on camp, WAAF always in rear except one momentous day we headed the parade because the sergent told men their marching was so poor he would put the WAAF in front and he did!

WILL NOT GO INTO THE DETAILS OF THE WORK

Nissen huts for rest room in grounds. The cottage which is still there in the corner housed teleprinters which clattered day and night. A cushy job if on duty there alone did knitting, letters reading or embroidery. A lot of time sitting doing nothing or a tremendous flap and plotting furiously. Sometimes had gas mask drill, wore special masks with built in ear phones etc. that got plugged in. While training we passed through hut full of tear gas in masks and had to take them off for a minute to find out what it was like! Learned about other gas, mustard, Phospherous etc.

At Christmas officers waited on Other Ranks and gave cake and tree to nissen hut etc. Although not official, no raids were sent out or received on Christmas Day. Cyril Raymond the actor was the first Controller who with Cecil Landeau an officer, put on humourous show in Town “This is the Gen”
(Based on the RAF Manual)

Some sad events, a man shot himself with a Sten Gun always hung on door at the cottage.
A crazy Pole going to a dance on camp drove past the guard. He did not respond to “who goes there”. The guard shot at the wheels of the car as he was supposed to but the bullet richoched and killed the Pole’s English wife in the back of the car.

In about April 1944 the Ops Room was packed up, just after 50 men shot in Germany after the Great Escape. Most people moved to the south coast to prepare for D Day, of course we did not know about that. We were given some warning there would be a worse weapon, Buzz Bombs.

I went to East Hill, Houghton Regis a Ground Control Interception Station. We taught fighter pilots to intercept at night using RADAR in the plane. During duty here 2 of us were sent for a week at Tangmere, it happened to coincide with D Day, SO MY MOST EXITING DAY WAS PLOTTING AT TANGMERE ON D DAY.
It was in the Bishop Otters Collage (now Chichester University) and I belive they have a plaque in the science lab about this.
After D Day they moved our Operations to France and although I volunteered they mainly moved the men over so we were more or less redundant. I went to Patrington (East Riding of Yorkshire), billeted with a family in Withersea. Down to Poling in Sussex. Poling was a group of huts in bluebell wood, we were kept awake by nightjars singing! Worked here with West Indian men recruited to help with the War, got on quite well with them. VE day happened and came down to Rye then Great Bromley where we were
mi-employed as cooks and Bat Women, we were not amused! We did a lot of hitch hiking to get home.

On VJ Day hitched to Romford on a beer lorry and was offered some of the load.
I finnished my WAAF duties at Farnborough in admin. They had some captured German Planes and the CO was killed flying one of them. Saw the first Farnborough Show after the War in Jan 1946. Geoffry De’Haviland flew a Hampden, I think. He was killed later that year.
Demobed at Withernshaw near Manchester 3 months later and back to boaring M.O.H.
In lieu of a demob (demobilisation) suit we received dress material and £30, I kept the grest coat and dyed it brown.

I have left out a lot of the social life. If you think sex started in the 60s you should have been alive in the 40s! Yanks, Poles, Free French, Canadians, not to mention our own chaps, and a lot of very green girls who thought sex meant love and romance! I fought off quite a few in my time and saw girls disappear to have thier babies.

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