Women's Royal Navy Service Member Stationed in Malta

The contributor shared that her mother had joined the Women's Royal Navy Service (WRNS) at the beginning of the Second World War. Her mother served initially as a cook and then in stores at various bases in England and Scotland. In January1944, she was sent to Malta in the first group of 40 WRNS, sailing on HMS Orion. The contributor shared that her mother was interviewed for the posting to Malta in the underground War Rooms in London. The contributor's mother worked in stores at St Angelo in Malta and witnessed significant devastation. Her mother had her memories of the WREN’s arrival in Malta and her first working day, recorded in “The Wrens 1917-77” (by Ursula Stuart Mason). Her mother returned to England in December 1945, flown by RAF, and was discharged in January 1946.

The contributor advised that her mother was born in 1915 and remembers the end on the First World War and was brought up in London. Prior to signing up with the WRNS, the contributor's mother worked as a housekeeper and cook. While in Malta, the contributor's mother was able to travel throughout the island and meet with local people; she also saw Winston Churchill in Malta on his way to Yalta. The contributor explained that all the WRNS lived in The Imperial Hotel, Sliema while in Malta. While in Malta, the contributor's mother attended local concerts put on by the Maltes and military personnel. During their time off the contributor’s mother and other WRENSvisited Sicily, although it is not known if this was really allowed. Her mother brought back to England a number of souvenirs from Malta and Sicily including a wooden box and a Maltese lace mat.

The contributor's father was a RN captain on the boats sailing between between Malta and Sicily. The contributor shared that her mother felt positively about her wartime experiences and spoke of it often. For someone who had never been out of the British Isles, never sailed or flown, the contributor felt that her mother's time in the WRNS, particularly in Malta, was the biggest adventure of her life.