Four Years In A Lifetime A Lifetime In Four Years Chapter 9

Chapter 9
Vic and I got engaged, life took another turn I was posted to Pocklington down the road so to speak normal procedure. We planned to marry at the end of his tour.
Pocklington: WAAF quarters — Up a country road passing the village pub and cottages/houses and there was the WAAF compound — wire fenced, large gate, office on the left, Nissan huts everywhere, nothing new really. The routine roughly the same wherever you were posted Aerodromes functioned the same way.
It must be 1944 I think in my little story. I would like to get it right but it is not so easy, I have been unwell for some time and ended up in Hospital, crashing somehow through the language barrier; heart attacks and pain are the same whatever. I am doing pretty well but the medication seems to make me a little fuzzy.
So let us say it is 1944 — What a busy year, D Day, Flying Bombs, the change in Europe, the US in the war, late it is true but after Pearl Harbour. The operations changed; normally the yanks flew the daytime raids and the R.A.F night time raids — now several times there were daylight raids to find the landing sites for the doodle bugs. The Free French Squadron were stationed at Elvington which was just down the road, they could not hide their excitement. We also had our own entertainment group which travelled to the various stations (RAF) in Group 4 and others if we could get there. Rationing Food clothes was worse, and there was really nothing to buy in the shops, especially without clothing coupons, very little entertainment, sing-alongs around any available piano and pianist, a wound up gramophone and records to dance to or the station band, it all lifted the mood, broke the tedium. The concert party — well some were or had been on the stage in their former lives, even me until Dad found out, we did what we did very well and dresses and theatrical costumes came from surprising sources, even putting on the dresses felt strangely scandalous . I’d never worn fish tail figure hugging plunging backs and fronts it is surprising how soon you get used to it and the lads loved it, because I was a driver, provided there was a lorry available etc there was no need to provide a driver. D Day June 1944 I was on night duty that night actually some duties around that time sort of fused together and we hardly came off duty. We knew whatever it was it was big and of course we speculated like the rest of the population and then suddenly it was there and had actually happened. I was at the bus stop when I heard, expecting a bus to York but when I heard I picked up my bike from the aerodrome and went back to WAAF Quarters and to bed, I know I felt extremely tired and emotional.
There were two crashes into the hills during that month too. One Free French, from Elvington the other I think from ……….. I was on ambulance duty and had to go out with the medical orderly Sgt to the Free French one. We were expecting assistance when we got to the crash site but all we found were Aircrew trainees guarding the site and not at all happy and eventually when the other ambulance arrived it was not good. The other ambulance had already done one trip they had orderly’s and helpers. Ted the Sgt was at a disadvantage, one rather small WAAF as a helper not really I was a driver but I was not nearly as unnerved as the trainees on guard I should have been. R.A.F Regiment really but it was unnecessary, people seemed to crawl ghoulishly out of their holes to go to a crash site, even after it was cleared they would comb the ground for souvenirs. So I stepped daintily out of my cab slithered into wellies and with Ted took and blanket to collect anything we found, good luck charms, teddies, scarves, ribbons etc. I found a flying glove and lifted it to put it into the blanket, there were still fingers in it. We were now using torches and Ted insisted it was time to go. So we used my flask of coffee I was seldom without that and shared it with the poor sprog on guard duty and travelled the dark roads back to camp. Conversation muted and limited cigarettes!! Too many.
Eventually I arrived at the canteen I think it was egg and chips, definitely chips and I had been hungry for a while but the sight of the chips — like fingers finished me I screamed, I cried I was probably hysterical, Doc came and gave me something and I was asleep before they got me to sick bay. Ted was able to explain.
The concert party gave me a lot of pleasure, rehearsals were anytime we could arrange them and that summer we would swim in the nearby quarry and rehearse in the field then there was always the NAFFI — pianos etc and the small band, we tried on our costumes did alterations and running repairs. Shoes were hard to find, we often went on with padded toes and nails through the soles to wobbly heel and cardboard insole. Our leader was a handsome young man called Patrick I discovered his initials were P.P.D the middle letter was for Paul but he only answered to Paddy and I could see why. Autumn came and then winter but sometime during these months of 44 we were roused by the air raid warnings and told to get to the shelters. Fine but the call came from F/O Packham coming in through the door leading to the shelter, she was extremely unpopular in our billet, she did not stand a chance, thirty odd females rushing out (on her order) Scottie, Anne and I were at the other end and not exactly rushing so we were there to pick her up and dust her off, slapping her cap back on her head and literally taking her out with us. In retrospect this was pretty hilarious.
During the summer especially when we were swimming I would pack my engagement ring with any money etc in the centre of my kit bag and lock it. The girls in my billet were like an extended family so I felt they were pretty safe. Not so. I came back one day and found someone had slit open my kit bag and of course my ring and money had gone.
I never did get it replaced. Annie had been married 2 years and in 44 she became pregnant and therefore was discharged. Her husband was in the Navy. She wrote to us a month later to tell us that her husband, Andrew had been killed. Scottie married her Free French Airman and she went to France to live in 1945. But for now we all carried on doing our usual jobs. Vic was on Op’s 2nd tour and like everyone in England with anyone in the services I did worry. I was only a few miles away and in the same bomber group and obviously information did filter through. I drove Coke Lorries; ration Lorries, ambulances, crew buses, tractors with bomb loads, vans, cars, motor bikes on DLS runs. I got my share of lazy days. They were usually transporting people to group head quarters in York and waiting and waiting. I quite enjoyed it but then I always had a book with me and a note pad and sometimes a sketch pad, cigarettes of course and my flask, unless of course it was a sudden call, full but there were always ways of getting these things filled.
I often drove Gus Walker. Air Commodore Augustus Walker a famous and respected figure in the Air force. One armed, and injury sustained whilst trying to get to air crew in trouble. To me he was very correct but kind and had a sense of humour, at this time I was occasionally his driver. I got to know him quite well in 1945. By this time there was often a phrase. ‘When the war is over’ and ‘when I or we return to civvy street’ we knew the end to this war was coming. For me this was a different concept, I seemed to have lived in two very different worlds already, civvy street was alien, I’d never really lived in it as an adult and now I was planning to marry and live in London, my family home was in a village in Yorkshire.
I was 20 years old; I was not sure whether or not I should marry Vic. He’d been to my home and met my folks and passed the test with honours but I had not met any of his family and knew very little about them. Pop, Vic obviously adored his father, Mama!! A love - hate relationship there. Uncle Jim quite a character so Vic said, and his brother Derek, 14 years old and Mama’s little lamb. A lot of that turned out to be true when I eventually got to know them.
Meanwhile shopping. I should have married in uniform but my Mum and my sister Ed had got together and found some coupons so we went shopping in Wakefield, when I could get home. There was not a lot to choose from. It would be a winter wedding during the leave he would get when he finished his tour. To me it was definitely a leap in the dark but it would go ahead promises had been made I loved Vic and those promises would not be broken. We were married from Vic’s home, I don’t know who decided that but Dad was pretty bad and Mum accepted it maybe Vic charmed her into thinking it was for the best, he could do that quite easily. My sister wanted to be there but Mama could not find accommodation for her. I was pretty stupid I guess I just did not realise what was going on, I had an awful lot to learn. The people I worked with thought I was pretty level headed, I was the one that they came to for a chat if there were problems and suddenly I realised I was not very mature at all in fact I knew very little about life except that it could end in an instance.

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