My "Time" at Bletchley

MY “TIME” AT BLETCHLEY AND HOW

Not just HOW but WHY?…….I will tell you the best I know how.

First of all, prior to Bletchley I was stationed at 9th.Troop Carrier Command, Grantham ( which was originally No.5 Group Headquarters)….I was posted there just as the Yanks had started to work there…we were more or less teaching them the job…..Gradually long after “D” Day they took over the signals completely and our postings came through….5 to Uxbridge and the rest of the girls to Bletchley approx.30…I was posted to Uxbridge but because one of the girls was getting married to a Yank and wanted to be nearer home I volunteered to exchange postings..much to my regret.

Whilst we were working with the Yanks we received their P.X. rations and it was like having Christmas every week..lots of cheap cigarettes, choc, biscuits and many other things besides..imagine how disgruntled we were when we had to go back to N.A.A.F.I. rations.

Because I had exchanged postings I had to wait for my railway warrant so the others set off before me….I went down to the railway station to see them off and on the way back to camp a lorry pulled up and told me to get aboard..they had seen to my kit and off I was sent…a very timid lonely W.A.A.F. The others journeyed via Nottingham, I had to go via London..and I had never been there and was a wee bit scared. I eventually arrived at Bletchley Railway Station and on presenting myself to the R.T.O. was informed that the others hadn’t arrived and was pointed the way to the camp..I ignored all that and waited for the others.

We landed at Church Green and placed in to hut 129..what a dismal camp it was ….not a bit pleasant and we were even more disgruntled when we found out that it would take 3 weeks to Vet us and we were given some very unpleasant duties….My friend and I were put on Ablution cleaning..not at all our cup of tea but we had to put up with it. I’ll leave it to the imagination what the state of some of the toilets were in..ugh

During the weeks we were waiting we had lectures etc. and I remember we were given one by an R.A.F.Officer who spelt out the whys and wherefores and do and don’ts emphasizing the need for speed and (no errors)…he was speaking to the initiated ….our machines at Grantham had almost set on fire on and around “D” Day (no errors)…when he asked for any questions one of the corporals stood up and gave him a slight lecture….we all enjoyed that .

The time came for us to be introduced to the Park…..all of us in hut 129 were put on “A” Watch…..the watches were 2 days 16.00 — 23.59
“ “ 12.00 - 20.00
“ “ 8.00 - 16.00…..48 hrs. stand down.

We had a pass which we had to show on going in and out.

We duly arrived for the first session in the Teleprinter Block not knowing what to expect and on reflections I feel sorry for the girls who had never known any other than the Park, having gone there straight from Radio School, at least we had had experience of a working station, so to speak……it was just like walking in to a factory just loads of machines and neon lights which were always going on the blink which didn’t help the eyesight one bit.

We were each given a section of machines to look after and all we did all the time we were on duty was walk around keeping watch over the printers that we had been allocated just signing for the signals, tearing them off, folding them in half and placing them on the conveyor belts to their respective destinations…this we did for the whole of the watches and then after stand down we were given another section to look after…..boring, boring, boring.

All this went off day after day, week after week, month after month.

I was only 5.ft.tall and was picked on a lot which depressed me and what made matters worse, I developed Scabies and was shunned by quite a few people..I had the last laugh though because the others in the hut had dysentery and had to have their blankets fumigated

I am not knocking the cookhouse because we had some decent meals but I started to be sick after most meals and couldn’t bear my collar and tie on and eventually my friend told me that if I didn’t report sick she would disown me so off I went….given tablets ( I can only think that they were sleeping tablets) which I had to go to the sick quarters for each day to have one administered.

Having been vetted the only way out of Bletchley was to volunteer to go abroad which my friend did…she duly had a medical, was found to have T.B. was sent off to hospital and never came back…this made me very sad and lonely….and even more depressed.
I can’t descibe how ill I felt….but the job had to be done and I soldiered on..even managing to pass a trade test….We occasionally got to send signals but those machines were few and far between.
On one of the Watches a group of civilians came thru on their way to another department and I couldn’t believe my eyes ‘cos coming toward me was a girl I went to school with but we only just had time to ask “What are you doing here?” when she was moved on…I never saw her again, (she was a boy and girl twin just like me)..small world isn’t it?

I befriended a girl in the next but one bed to me and she came from St.Neots and was able to get home on her S.O.P. and she took pity on me and I used to go home with her occasionally it was so kind of her family to take me in like that because they had a houseful, Mom, Dad, Aunty, Joyce herself, her brother and three land army girls so it was very kind of them to accept me as one of the family and they were such a lively lot it helped me a great deal Sheffield where I came from was a bit too far really although a corporal who lived there and I did once try going home on a 48hrs. pass but we had a struggle getting back to Bletchley and I became sick which didn’t help matters especially when we were a wee bit late for duty however we didn’t get put on a charge which was a blessing.

To cut a long story short I eventually was sent to R.A.F.Halton to face a Medical Board and had to travel in a corridor less train with a Sgt. who I had heard played her violin at midnight..so I wasn’t too happy about that arrangement..however all was well although she refused to wear her cap so didn’t salute an Officer who just happened to be passing the station entrance when we arrived at our destination she was reprimanded if I remember, and I was held up as an example of discipline…a feather in my cap I must say.

After facing the Medical Board and answering lots of questions I was informed that I had a nervous throat and given to choking (I am to this day..difficult when visiting the dentist). I was offered my discharge which I refused so the alternative was that I was posted to R.A.F.Norton. Sheffield the idea being that I worked on the camp in the signals section but lived at home in order to have food cooked by my Mom .and this arrangement lasted until my demob at the end of 1945..

I left B.P. silently two days before New Year’s Eve 1944. and was put on duty immediately New Year’s Day 1945. .

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