Womans Job

I was born in Glasgow and was brought up in New Zealand. I moved out their for my fathers job. I returned to Britian in the late 1930's and I was called up to the A.T.S in 1942. I was the company sargent of a group of 75 girls. I looked after the administration for these girls.
I shared a bedroom with a corporal and the main room had 60 people in it. It was originally a ball room and the orderlies (cooks and cleaners) slept on the stage. The others slept in single bunks. You had to strip your bed every day and your pillows were to be wrapped up in your blankets.
When girls got injured in air raids, I refurred them to hospital. I took care of their leave applications aswell.
The company went down to pack compo rations for troops over seas. Things like hard tack biscuits went into these packages and other foods that had to be bulked up with water were also sent. These contained lots of energy so that troops could save rations in difficult situations.
At weekends London beckoned and a group of us would take the train to see the theatre and concerts or we would visit 'south-end on sea.'
Having 75 people in the barrack meant that there was plenty of food and even though we didnt have the choice like todays food, it was quite good.
I left the A.T.S at the age of 24 and am now a Grand-mother of three.

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