Memories of the War - Isabella Smith

I joined the war in 1940 and 1945 and joined the WRAF which was attached to Royal Naval Air Service and was sent to Rosyth. The first time I got onto the telephone exchange there were a number of us WRAF. We heard Lord Haw Haw announce who we were and where we were stationed before we did. So they knew where we were stationed. I joined in 1940 and was born in Berwick on Tweed. On the first day that I joined up as did two friends who worked in the same office, who were 18.

Berwick was full of tanks and soldiers already armed because we were expecting to be invaded. At the same, they opened an office for Ladies' recruitment and we were ladies and we were interested and everyone was asking what would you do if we were invaded. We were very naive 18-year-olds but anyway, we went in. Anyway, when we came out one (girl) was in the Army, one was in the Navy and I was Airforce. Anyway, this was at lunchtime so I went home and told my mother, "Mother, I just joined the Air Force today!" She just replied, "No you didn't!". 6 weeks later I got a warrant that sent me to Newcastle. In the documents, it told me what to take such as my Birth Certificate etc. In the documents, it stated that I had to be sponsored by someone responsible. I thought, "Who do I know who's responsible?". My friend's mother was a housekeeper to a Retired Admiral and sponsored the three of us as he had known us since childhood and so there was no difficulty that way.

From Newcastle, we were transferred to Market Drayton. There was an air raid as we arrived in Market Drayton and so dived into an air raid shelter. It was the first time that I had been in one. The raid lasted all night. When we came out in the morning the whole admin block was ablaze. There were about aircraft ablaze. Straight after the raid we were told by a sergeant to pack as they had found a place for us there were about 40 of us from the Borders. We were sent to the Grand Hotel Harrogate. There was a Grand and one of the girls started playing it! I joined up on 20th September 1940 until the Germans gave up in November 1945. They gave me a War Medal.

I met my husband who was a navigator in Coastal Command and I was in Coastal Command. I served at the Headquarters in 1940 for eighteen months. Just before conscription for all women over the age of 18 unless they had dependants. Then we trained the new beginners. They sent me to a place about an hour from Edinburgh and I was in a Bunker all fitted out with equipment. This event was called "The Assessment". I was sent to an airfield involved in the 1000 bomber raids. We worked 24 hours a day getting sleep whenever we could. I was sent there for 6 months. After they came back the aircrews had a party we were all 18 - 24 years old including the pilots. A lot did not survive. I enjoyed the parties and was sad when some didn't come back. But we did not get too familiar because would be in one place one minute and in Plymouth the next.

The RTO (Railway Travel Office) worked tirelessly. If you were left on a station due to your train being bombed and you had to wait a day. That happened very often. That was the time I started smoking and when the lights went out it was a comfort to know someone was there in the same position.

I survived many raids. Learning how to miss the bomb blast by keeping your head down. My demobilisation came through when I was at RAF Uxbridge (Ed. The air operations section of Operation Overlord "6 June 1944 (D-Day)" was also controlled from RAF Uxbridge. Orders from the station were the only ones issued to Allied air units on the day.) The message came through "All those who wished to go up to the Palace could go but could not wear their Service jackets showing any insignia". So, went out wearing our pale blue blouses with rolled-up sleeves and skirts as I was in signals I wasn't allowed to wear a jacket. The crowds were very large and didn't know how we could get to the railing when an ambulance came along heading our way and so we quickly got in step behind it and marched towards the Palace with the crowds parting the waves as it were. After the event at the Palace, we tried to get away up Piccadilly Circus going right in front was Princess Elizabeth in civvies with her uniform jacket on and Princess Margaret in civvies accompanied by three members of the Coldstream Guards, none had hats on. Anyway, were invited into every place and they knew were RAF.

I only signed up for "hostilities" which I thought was against Germany, Italy wasn't in it neither was Japan. I eventually demobbed and got a job whilst I awaited my fiancé to be demobbed. I got a job at Claridges where the following had lived during the war. The United Nations people, Eleanor Roosevelt, the Chinese, the King of Norway, and the Saudi Arabians. It was the most interesting time. Most of them could speak English and did, but the French! Most of them could speak English but chose not to but I knew French and understood them!