MY SIX YEARS OF WAR Part 1 by Olive Tyrie

WW2 People’s War Team

“MY 6 YEARS OF WAR — Part 1 by Olive Tyrie”

Six years of war 3rd September 1939 — 5th June 1945

Where do I begin?

I MUST GO BACK A YEAR TO 1938 when there was talk on the wireless, in the newspapers, and in the cinema “news”, of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi armies (National-Socialist German Workers Party which seized political control of Germany in 1933). Hitler was seen standing defiantly while being saluted by his passing marching armies, followed by tanks, and other war equipment, showing the world how powerful Germany had become.

The conversations and reports from all countries continued to be printed in the press, with the news of Hitler sending his armies into the smaller countries around Germany. Our Government then decided everyone should have gasmasks, and we all went to our own town hall to collect one, in a cardboard box with straps so that they could be carried on our shoulders wherever we went. But no explanation except to carefully keep it until recalled. WHAT DID THEY KNOW THAT THE PUBLIC DID NOT?

Mr. Neville Chamberlain, our Prime Minister at the time, went out to Germany for discussions with Hitler, and came back to announce from the steps of the plane to the press and wireless news reporters, that there would be no War between Germany and England. But we were told to keep our gas masks in a safe place!

IT WAS NOW MAY 1939, Lord Wakefield, who had started the Castrol Oil Company after the end of the first world war, decided to move his staff away from Cheapside in the City of London and re-open in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. The press in those days was not forthcoming as it is today, and only printed (probably by instruction) what the public was allowed to know. We would talk among ourselves. Why had the Company moved, at such great cost? And it had obviously been planned much earlier than May. Again the question - WHAT DID THEY KNOW THAT THE PUBLIC DID NOT?

We had been told to go to Beaconsfield Station and when we arrived, senior managers were waiting with lists of addresses which had been booked for all the staff to stay from Mondays — Fridays, returning to our homes at the weekends. The whole of the London office had been cleared and brought down to the country “Westridge” was
a very large country mansion situated in beautiful grounds plus surrounding fields. They didn’t want to disturb the arranged gardens and so they built on the tennis courts three large wooden buildings which were used by the staff of the various departments and with all the equipment needed. The house itself was used to provide lunch for the staff and the girls took it in turns to do this. The large bedrooms upstairs were turned into offices for the directors and senior staff.

“Hope it wont be for long” said those who lived on the South side of London, who couldn’t travel daily and were envious of many, like myself, who lived on the North side. The London North Eastern Railway ran trains through to Marylebone and after a few months many of us decided, including myself, that we wanted to be with our families, and left our bed/breakfast/dinner accommodation, to travel backwards and forwards daily. Beaconsfield to Wembley Hill was no problem for me, and I felt I was lucky to be able to sleep in my own bed.

Our parents were worried already having been through a four year war (1914/18 the first World War) with an immense loss of life, and would talk with their friends solemnly. Whereas my friends and I who had never known what war was really like felt a certain bizarre excitement. We began to feel that it wouldn’t last very long, and we wanted to get involved.

It was July 1939 and I went on holiday with my parents to Torquay in Devon. On our return we found that friends in our Avenue were planning to move. Molly’s parents were going to live in a village near to Sheffield University, where her father could move his professorship from London, and Monica and Allan’s parents were going to Cornwall. We said goodbye and promised to keep in touch.

There was no television, only a wireless, but we did have a new black modern telephone, which was very useful to contact each other if we were in trouble. We went to the cinema and there was always a news reel to watch between two films,
and we watched among other events the progress of Adolph Hitler invading other
European countries.

ON THE 3rd SEPTEMBER 1939 — a Sunday — I walked round to my friend Jean’s home as we had intended going for a walk on Barn Hill (we lived in Wembley Hill) and then back for lunch with her father and aunt. Jean rushed to the door and said “quickly, come and listen to the news. The Prime Minister is talking and War between England and Germany has been declared.” Before we could get over the shock, the air raid siren started wailing. “Oh my God” Jean I must go home — sorry about lunch, and they all understood and said “yes, go”.

I ran all the way home to find my mother waiting at the gate for me. We went inside — my father’s partner was with us, as his wife had gone visiting for the day to a friend who lived near the coast and he was very concerned - and didn’t know what to expect. Actually it wasn’t long before the “all clear” sounded and we wondered where the bombs had fallen. The wireless “news” later told us that it was a false alarm!

The Navy, Army, and Air Force, had been ready and waiting for some months, and as Germany was already through the French Maginot Line our forces were now being shipped across the channel to stop the onslaught of the German army.

The first year of the War was quiet and concentrated in Europe and we only heard reports on the wireless of the brave fighting of the three British Forces. The newspapers showed photographs and kept us aware of what was happening. Sometimes the enemy were advancing and at other times we had pushed them back.

My friend Jean, and I, used to go to the cinema and see the filmed news reports. At other times we would have supper together in our homes and write letters to our respective boy friends, and when they came home on leave we were so pleased to see them. Meantime, we carried on as usual, ice-skating at Wembley Pool in the
winter, and swimming and playing tennis in the summer.

All the single young men at Wakefield’s had wanted to join up immediately. No-one thought it would last as long as the l914-18 world war and with France and Britain together they would soon see Hitler finished. And so all the staff said goodbye to them, and looked forward to seeing them when they had leave and came to visit us in Beaconsfield.

The married men on the staff with young children brought their families to Beaconsfield to live in temporary accommodation.

When reading about the first World War four years of fighting and killing seemed a life-time to those who lived through it, and to the following generations who read about it. But six years was even worse. I was 18 years old when the second World War began, and 24 years old when it finished. It would take a book to tell my story of everything that happened, but, briefly, I wanted to join the WAAF when I was 19, the age girls were accepted, but the Government brought in restrictions in important work areas, and our company became a “Reserved Occupation” (there had to be a lot of people working “behind the lines” to back-up those who were in the front line, especially those in factories that were making tanks for the army, aeroplanes for the air force and ships and submarines for the Navy.) So I had to accept that I could not join the WAAF.

My friend had joined the army in 1938, as a young man training at weekends, and he, with others like him, were the first to be called up after War was declared. I used to go with him to Victoria Station to wave goodbye and there was a feeling of excitement all around us, as the trains were filling up with soldiers and everyone waving and kissing goodbye. (… to be continued in Part 2)

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.