Hell Fire Corner 1943- 1945

I was fifteen whn war broke out and attended Woodford County High School. My father, a School master, was evacuated to Kings Lynn so as a family we moved there too. I left school in 1940. In 1942 I volunteered for the W.R.N.S and was called up in June 1943. After three weeks training I was posted to H.M.S. LyNX Dover as a Watchkeeper S.D.O (Signal Distribution Operator). I was billeted for a short time in Dover College until Damage was incurred by German shelling. We then moved to the Boys County School.
My watchkeeping duties were first in the Captains office in Fremlins Brewery in Market Square. Our night duties were spent at the Naval Barracks at the end of Snargate Street. Our rest room was overrun with large cockroaches. After a few weeks we moved to Admiralty House on the dockside. There was a wonderfull view of the harbour from our office window. Signals were received from ships leaving and entering horbour. Then I was transferred to the secret underground tunnels at the Castle. These did not come off the secret list until the 1980s. These whre nearly 200 feet below ground level and were fusty and cold at times. It was a large complex with many large and small offices. It was an exhausting climb up to reach daylight - 96 steep stairs and two long uphill passages. I worket with the duty Duty Signal Officer in a small office off the main Central Communication Office. As before signals were received from the manyminesweepers and torpedo boats stationed in Dover and other Commands. The signals were hand written initially and then went out either by W/T or teleprinter to various departments.
Our duty hours were very varied. Sometimes naval watches but when shelling was persisten twelve hours on and twelve hours off was normal. We had to take shelter when shelling took place whether day or night.
In mid April 1944 all leave was cancelled so we knew D-Day was imminent. My next leave was mid August when I became engaged to Lieutenant R Hugh Clark who later won a military Cross during the airbone landing east of the Rhine in March 1945. The shelling had become almost daily after june 6th. and a week later the flying bombs were sent over in droves. It was a very noisy time. Among the convoys, wich still managed to sail through the Straits of Dover were towed some very large and mysterious objects which we later discovered were sections of Mulberry Harbour. These were anchored off Dungeness prior to D-Day. There was shelling all day on September 26th but this was the end of it as the canadians had captured Calais and the big guns. It was good to get back to regular duty watches and we were kept very busy. The war ended on May 8th and was married on June 6th. I was demobbed on VJ-Day August 15th 1945.

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