The Fireservice from Wellington, Somerset to......

National Fire Service.

1938- Time of the Munich crisis. The local council called for volunteers for the Civil Defence, so at the age of 15, I put my name forward.
On 29 August 1939 I was called up as a messenger for the town's Fire Brigade. We spent the first few days filling sandbags and were on-call during the night. My mother had one of the few telephones in the town so I was always called out before the air raid Warning Red. My duties were to call firemen in to report to the fire station and then stand-by for further instructions. We had three messengers at the station- the other two were boys of the same age as myself. We were all in the scouts and guides. Our personnel attended Bristol, Plymouth, Exeter and Bath raids.
At the age of 17 I applied for a driving licence and learnt to drive. My mother had died and I transferred to 14 Fire Force (Hampshire) and was stationed at Basingstoke as a driver, driving anything from ATV's with trailer to Dam lorries. We worked on a 48-hour on duty with 24 hours off. There were Red, White and Blue watches and I was on Red Watch. Our usual station duties were:
9 a.m. -- Parade for the on-coming and out-going watches Duties for the day
6 p.m.-- Parade again when the part-time AFS came on duty.
We were now the National Fire Service and attended normal domestic fires as well as plane crashes. We were situated between Aldermaston and Odiham airfields and training planes often crashed in the area.
One day a notice appeared asking for a driver to a Fire Force Commander from the Home Office (S.H. CHARTERS) who was taking over command of 14 Fire Force- the notice did not state male or female - so I applied. I was told a few days later that I was on the short list and an interview was to be arranged. - So best uniform was pressed, clean white shirt set aside, shoes highly polished and buttons cleaned. At the time of the interview I was out on a hayrick fire as a pump operator for which I had then been trained. I was called back to the station- gumboots, overalls, black faced, dirty hands and smelly! I was told the FFC was waiting in the station officer's office and I had to go just as I was. Just my luck! I was informed that if I could pass the advanced police-driving test within the week, I could have the job. A favour was called-in by my station officer to the police with whom we had always worked closely. The police came up trumps and took me on - After a very hard week- all day and sometimes, night, 1 passed, skid pan and all. I was in. I was then posted to H.Q. at Winters Hill Hall, Bishops Waltham near Portsmouth - the fun was just beginning. Gone was the 48-hour on and 24 hour off rota - I had one day off per week - If lucky.
6 a.m.-- rise and wash car as well as cleaning it inside and out. Full dress uniform to be worn. Breakfast.
8 a.m.-- report to FFC office for day's duties- these were meetings, visits to stations in and around Portsmouth.
9 a.m.-- Drive the car to the front door to pick up the Commander and off returning sometimes, late into the night.
One day, whilst visiting Whale Island Gunnery School we were told to report to the Quarter Deck where His Royal Highness, the Duke of Kent was visiting for an inspection and we were included. He greeted us very kindly and seemed genuinely interested. Only a few weeks later, he was killed in an air crash.
We also had Russian fire officers over to England to study our methods of fire control. A visit was obtained for them to see over HMS Victory in the dockyard, where a few weeks before a bomb had dropped on Victory and gone through the upper deck. Fortunately, it had not exploded and the ship's "chippies" were busy repairing the damage. Raids were occurring day and night which kept us very busy.
On the day of the Dieppe raid by the Canadians, we were in Portsmouth all day with a great deal of air activity taking place which we observed from one O.P. which was situated on the top of an hotel on Southsea sea front. Night saw us in the dockyard many fires about- warehouses etc. all well alight. Some of the barges were coming back from the channel with dead soldiers in them who never made the landings. We later found out that the Germans had been tipped-off about the raid. It was a night I shall never forget.
At the time of the Coventry raids I drove a mobile kitchen from Portsmouth to Coventry, through the night, to meet up with the Salvation Army canteens and the Queen's messengers. This was to feed the firemen and Civil Defence. I have never peeled so many potatoes in my life! On another occasion I had the fun of driving the “first away"- a car with trailer pump. We were not really equipped to attend fires at H.Q. but it was a local call to the nearby village-, a chimney fire. The crew consisted of me (driver), pump operator, the chef, the F.F.C. batman, the gardener and an administration officer. We never did find the fire!
After about a year with the Commander I expressed a wish to learn to ride a motor cycle - so I was sent to Portsmouth on a Dispatch Riders course. I joined the course halfway through at North End, Portsmouth. The other F/wn and F/m had the edge on me as one week of the course had gone by. I was told to get on a BSA 250 and to "get on with it". I was also told to stay on and not fall off so we went up over Portsdown Hills with me as "tailend Charlie". That night I had to eat my supper standing up. Eventually I managed to catch up and passed out a fully trained Dispatch Rider. I was then posted back to Basingstoke Sub-Div 1.
I made runs to Aldershot (our divisional H.Q.), Hartney Witney, Hartford Bridge and Fleet. I would often meet army DRs. having a comfort stop (by a hedge) and they would turn and wave little knowing that I was female!
I called at all part-time A.O.S. stations with dispatches as well as picking up papers etc.
One station was in the corner of a pub yard and after delivering what I had for that station, I wanted desperately to "spend a penny". Propping my bike against a wall I made for the "Ladies" only to be yelled at by the pub landlord "not in there sonny the men’s is over here",
One night I was "first away, D.R." and I always slept in the lower bunk for a quick get-a-way, the bells went down and I was out- jacket, leggings, and boots but on that night I forgot my trousers! We had lots of heath fires and rick fires, which had to be extinguished by "blackout" time. l became quite hardened to picking up "bits and pieces" from plane crashes.
By now I was 20 years old and married - name CURTIS. My husband was in the army serving in North Africa- a desert rat in the 51st Highland division.
Life went on - a few bombs were dropped by the German air force making for home, dropped to lighten their load for a quicker get-a-way from "our boys". During one rick fire that I was attending, we were dragging with chains when we came across what was thought to be a log of wood. On sticking a pitchfork into it, it was found to be a body - the remains of a tramp who had obviously gone to sleep in the rick- not a pleasant sight or smell!
One day a great event was to take place. The Duchess of Kent, Princess Marina, was to visit Regional H.Q. at Reading. It was decided that Firewomen D/RS were to take over from the police escort at the city boundary and escort her car through the city. I was one of the lucky ones to perform this duty. She was such a charming and beautiful lady and I think this was one of my proudest moments.
On leaving Div. H.Q. Aldershot one day, in full view of the "stick guard" who were on duty at the gate, l was hit by a Canadian staff car. The car did not stop at the halt sign and smashed into me pinning me against a wall, which resulted in a smashed kneecap. I was in hospital for two weeks and the remaining six weeks that I was in plaster, I spent in the control room. 1 hated this!
My husband returned after two years - Christmas 1943 and to my horror 1 became pregnant.
We were all geared up for "something" i.e. D-Day. It was first thought that the Fire Force was going to be sent overseas. What was called the "colour scheme" was in operation. Fire service personnel from the North of England had been sent down to the south as re-enforcement. I longed to get back on operational duties but no luck! I was allowed back on driving but I was mostly in the control room.
In July 1944 I was discharged from the N.F.S. and returned to my hometown of Wellington, Somerset, where my son was born in the September. Message to Sub Division 1, Basingstoke "Increased availability by one F/m".
I rejoined the A.F.S. in 1950 and completed 26 years service, which ended in 1970 when Harold Wilson disbanded the Civil Defence.

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