I Remember, Will They?

I Remember, Will They?
“My Memories”

Someone once said to me, why did I join the A.T.S.
Well I was only 15 years old when war broke out and I was employed as a Parlour Maid in the residence of the
Family Doctor. I continued to work there until I was 17 years old and then I decided I would work at Singers in Frome on munitions. While working there we had a foreman who at times could be a miserable so and so, when he got to know that I had volunteered for the A.T.S. was heard to say “I give her three months, she will be some officers ground sheet” Being as naïve as I was at that time I had no idea what he was talking about. After being in the army a while I got to learn that there were other girls who had similar remarks made to them.
It was a nice feeling to be able to go back to see my pals at Singers to prove the foreman wrong.

As soon as I was 18 years old I applied to enrol in the A.T.S. On being accepted I had to go to Bath for my initial medical and entrance exam, which I am glad to say I was passed A.1.

Early in June 1942 I was sent my train pass to report to Honiton in Devon to start my 12 weeks training course. To someone who had never been away from home before this was a very great step to take and I felt very apprehensive about it all. To be in a nissen hut with 23 other girls of all different walks of life was quite an eye opener, but great fun and comradeship.


Getting kitted out was a great laugh, we were all marched to the Quartermasters Stores, where 10 girls at a time were taken inside, we were confronted with this very stern looking A.T.S. Sergeant Major, she would walk around each person and call out a number, as she came to me she shouted 16 (at this point you have to remember I had never been to a shop and had new clothes bought me, all my clothes had been hand me downs from a cousin)

And so we got kitted out, we were given the following: 1 jacket and skirt, 2 shirts, 2 ties, 1 pullover, 1 battledress tunic, 1 pair of trousers, 1 pair of gaiters, 2 pairs of boots, 2 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of stockings, 2 braziers, 2 vests, 2 pairs of directoire knickers (passion killers), 2 pairs thick khaki socks (to be worn with boots) 1peaked cap, 1 tin helmet, 1 gas mask 1 handbag, 1 toothbrush 1 hairbrush, 1 comb, 1 Housewife which contained cotton, scissors, buttons for repair work, knife, fork and spoon, one mug one dinner and dessert plate. All these things piled on top of each other, then you had to stagger back to the barrack room. I forgot to mention one pillow plus two pillow cases two blankets and one kit bag.

Next item on the agenda was to make our beds, no nice comfy mattress, oh no, we were each given three hard square biscuits (mattresses) which were laid end to end to form a mattress (these took some time to get used to) The next job was the marking of all our clothes with our name, rank and number. Each day we had to fold blankets and sheets into a uniform style, and also lay out our kit the way we had been instructed.

Sometime during the day the Duty Officer would do her daily inspection and woe betide anyone who didn't have things laid out in regimental order, you could be put on a charge whereby you might end up doing “spud bashing” in the cook house or even forfeiting your next evening or 24 hour pass. It was all good experience and made us all take a little more care of things and the way we carried out different tasks.

Came our first pay day, we had to line up outside Pay Office and when your name was called you had to march in and up to the table, salute with your right hand and take your money in your left hand, salute again about turn and march out. My pay was 14 shillings and 6d out of which I made an allowance of 7 shillings a week to Mum, the Government made this up to 19 shillings a week, it was a great help to Mum and Dad at that time. This did not leave me with too much money for any luxuries, still I managed.

Hours upon hours of square bashing. Inoculations, after which we had to scrub floors so that the arms didn't stiffen up too much. Also at this time we had to decide which trade or department we wanted to go into at the end of our 12 weeks training. There were so many different areas to choose from, cook, clerk, batwoman, driver, plotter, height finder, spotter etc. Having decided I would like to go into Ack Ack Command the wheels were set in motion. Our initial training was finalised and we were allowed to go on leave for the first time with a free pass. Hooray 14 days at home.

Next stop Arborfield Nr Reading, where we had to undergo quite a hard time learning to be able to recognise all English and German aeroplanes flying at that time. I must say it was not an easy task and at times I wondered if I would be able to do this responsible job,
However at the end of three months we all sat our exams and the results were that most of us gained our Spotters Badge. What a relief. Now where were they going to post us? Some went to the North of England, some to Dover and some to London, myself I was among the ones who were posted to Sheen Gate, Mortlake which was in part of Richmond Park. There I joined 553 Heavy Ack Ack mixed Battery, now all the training I had was going to come into fruition.

Spotters were the only women who at night during a raid had to stay outside, plotters and height finders were allowed to go underground in the command post and do their tasks there. There would be two spotters on duty at all times 24 hours a day, they would stand at their instrument facing each other so that 180 degrees of the sky was covered and as soon as an aircraft was spotted it had to be recognised and reported, the angle and height had to be given, when the C.O. gave the order of “Take Post” everyone was on their toes, the men were in the Gun Emplacements (of which we had six 3.7” Guns). Sometimes the raids were really scary but you didn't feel any fear because you had so much to do. It was only when the gunners were told to “stand down and clean the guns” that things got back to normal, then I would send up a thank you, as time went on there were many what one would call “arrow prayers” sent.

The Army allowed three paid railway passes home a year. One day I was talking to one of the gunners in the Naffi and he said his father was a Milk Tanker driver and that he drove to Frome every Friday night and returned with a tanker full of milk Sunday evening, if I wanted a lift he was sure it could be arranged. And so it was, every couple of months I would go to Hammersmith milk depot at 6.p.m. and meet Frank, he was a real Cockney, and off we would go. I would be home by 11 p.m. spend the weekend with the family and then Sunday I would go to Frome milk depot at 5 p.m. meet Frank and do the return journey. This was such a bonus to me being on a limited amount of money, I couldn't afford to pay out train fares so I have many people to thank for all the help given to me.

We were allowed 48 hours leave every 14 days, and I used to go with my pal Lily Morsman to her home in Bethnal Green. Her parents were real Cockneys and made me so welcome. I always remember sitting down to tea, to homemade brown bread and scrape with winkles. I had never tried these before but I got used to getting them out with a pin. Many times we had to pick up our plates and dash to the Anderson Shelter in their little back garden because the siren had gone. You could hear the bombs dropping some were very near, some distant and when the all clear sounded Mr. Morsman would go out of the shelter first to see if it was safe. Lily’s parents didn't have any direct hits but they did have their windows blown out. At times we would go on the bus to see the damage done and it was heart-breaking to see families going through rubble trying to find

find bits of their homes. One thing that really stands out in my memory is the way they all helped each other and they were so cheerful under such dreadful circumstances.

I got posted to various Batteries in London, I went to Hyde Park, Wimbledon Common, Primrose Hill, we were sent to these places to relieve spotters who were having a really bad time. I well remember having gone on the underground to Mile End Station, coming out of there and getting on the bus for Bethnal Green. There was a raid going on at the time and we hadn’t gone very far when there was the most terrific explosion, the bus stopped, there was so much rushing about, the driver got out to find out what had happened, when he came back he said Mile End Station had a direct hit. I couldn’t believe that only a few minutes earlier we had come from there and as we came out people were making their way there with blankets pillows etc. because that is where so many of them went for safety at night. No matter which tube station, they were always full of people on the platforms about 5 o’clock onwards settling down for the night. They were such happy people, someone would start singing and before you knew it everyone had joined in.

It was while I was at Sheen Gate and on duty that the C.O. brought a Gentleman, a Brigadier and a couple of Colonels up to my opposite spotter and myself. The Gentleman asked us various questions about where we had lived etc and then a photographer came and asked if he could take photos of us. As the said “Gentleman” was

was going he looked at us and said “by the way I didn’t introduce myself, I am J.B. Priestley”. He spent quite a time at the Camp talking to the gunners and other people, I thought he was such a charming man. I didn't think anymore about it, but a few weeks later the C.O. sent for me and said that J.B. Priestley had requested that I go to Arnos Vale to see him, which I duly did. When I got there I was asked if I minded putting on a Parlour Maids outfit so that photos could be taken to show what I did before the war. I had no idea why he wanted this until months later I had a letter from my Mum to say J.B. Priestley had sent her two photos of me, one on duty the other in a Parlour Maids outfit, she also said that I was featured in the book “J.B.” had written “British Women Go To War” and it was on display in W. H. Smiths Bookshop in Bath Street, Frome.

However, lets get back to more important things. In 1944 our Battery were told we were going to be stationed in “Doodle Bug Alley” these horrible flying bombs were starting to come quite regular. They made such a noise you could certainly see them coming because they had flames coming out of their tail ends. They were pilot less and we were told that as soon as the motor cuts out to count to five and then we would hear an explosion where it had come down. We were always so very thankful that having counted to five we were safe, but some poor souls were not so lucky. This was the V.I.

Later, in 1944 Hitler started sending over the larger V.2. version, these were much heavier and far more deadlier

deadlier than the V.1. All the Ack Ack Batteries from Dover to London intercepted many and brought them down, but still far too many were getting through.

While we were in “Doodle Bug Alley” we were stationed under canvas in the most awful weather, it poured with rain for days on end. Our tents were filled with water and it got so bad that it was decided by the “higher ups” that we would refuse to do any duties other than air raids. Believe it or not word got out and we were featured in the “News of The World” as the army that went on strike. What a laugh, but it did get us moved down to Nissan huts, but quite a way to walk to go on duty, this went on and then suddenly they stopped coming over and there was a quiet time.

We were posted back to Richmond Park the beginning of 1945 and life went on as usual but now things were getting quieter, we knew our troops were getting somewhere over there. We all kept saying it can’t last much longer, and when in May the C.O. called everyone together to say that the War was over and we could all have 48 hours leave. London went really mad, several of us made our way up to Piccadilly Circus to join all the revellers, it was wonderful, so many people in uniform, from all different parts of the World, there were Poles, Canadians, Belgians and Dutch. Everyone was trying to get into the Union Jack Club, but it was hopeless. We made our way down the Mall to Buckingham Palace with great difficulty, you had to hold tight to whoever you were with or you were lost. It was great to listen to the people calling for their King and Queen to come out

come out on the balcony, which they did along with Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose.

I was demobbed in June 1946. I came out of the army with a Defence Medal and Victory Medal of which I was very proud to receive. I like to think that I and thousands of other women who served their country did their bit and were proud to do so. Now I had to start a completely new way of life.

Thanks for the memories.

Gwendoline Mary Victoria Buttery (nee Miller)

Private Miller today opening the “Frome at War”
Exhibition at Frome Museum, North Parade, 2005

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