Memoir notes - Cranwell (Kathleen Reid)

Memoir notes - Cranwell (Kathleen Reid)

Kathleen recounts arriving at RAF Cranwell on a cold December day and describes the accommodation in detail, including living conditions and a description of camp and facilities. She then talks about daily activities, classrooms, instructors and training course, and explains that hard work prevented the use of the station social activities. Kathleen mentions hearing a jet engine being tested. She goes on to describe life at RAF Cranwel,l including church parades and the consequences of WAAFs not turning up for them. Some notes in margins.

Three page handwritten document

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1/ The lovely [deleted] rowling [/deleted] / Lincolnshire [deleted] Wolds [/deleted] countryside with leaveless [sic] [inserted] eve [/inserted] Trees [deleted word] [deleted] To stop [/deleted] unable to Stop them [deleted] Them [/deleted] [inserted] Open OFFice [/inserted]

Cranwell in December is cold enough to freeze a Brass Monkey [inserted] [indecipherable word] Blow across * [/inserted] After waiting a year for the Course I would die for – if absolutely necessary [symbol]

I arrived in a December evening – was [deleted] allotted [/deleted] [inserted] billeted [/inserted] [indecipherable word] of a [inserted] [indecipherable word] [deleted word] [2 indecipherable words] many married quarters [/inserted] That had been previously allocated to married peace time Airforce Families. the downstairs rooms housed 3 Waafs on the R/T D/F Course 83 [inserted] [indecipherable word] square [/inserted] shared [indecipherable word] downstairs rooms consisting of a kitchen Bathroom & Bedroom – [deleted] Shared [/deleted] with 2 other Waafs on the course One Scots girl Ann from Paisley with the fiercest tempers I have ever [inserted] had the misfortune to be on Te [sic] receiving end of [/inserted] experienced, A London girl Tony they were in [indecipherable word] first, so had arranged their beds nearest to the fireplace ! Which had to be refueled [sic] [deleted word] [inserted] in The evenings [/inserted] by sticks & pieces of [inserted] [indecipherable word] [/inserted] wood found around the camp – [inserted] as there was a fuel shortage [/inserted] This was supposed to be a united effort – [inserted] [indecipherable sentence] [/inserted] The was an – old fashioned Coffee Boiler [inserted] Boiler [/inserted] in the kitchen, but with scarcity of fuel – be – [deleted word] wood to light it for bathwater – we had to contend with cold showers.

The furniture was Spartan One iron bedstead – 3 [indecipherable word] – [deleted word] or 2 [inserted] Harmchairs [sic] [/inserted] – no more, hard chairs & a wooden box for a locker. Food was provided in a Mess Hall, There were vans arriving at different times of the day to provide refreshments the Catholic Van was the [deleted word] most expensive & the Church Army Van very [inserted] [indecipherable words] reasonable & very welcome on the cold days we were experiencing. [inserted] Being cheap wa[missing letter] & popular [/inserted]

The next day. We were shown over the camp by a Waaf Corporal – had a look inside the Cranwell College to the [inserted] Large [/inserted] [indecipherable word] we would occupy – Just like school – complete with Blackboard & school desks – [inserted] No Heating [/inserted] I was enrolled in the course. [indecipherable word] about 30 girls.

The next day we all met – after marching in Squads to the cook house – Lanterns were carried [indecipherable word] to avoid being run into in the dark [deleted] by lots of [inserted] as The [/inserted] [/deleted] [inserted] Traffic [/inserted] Traffic - Then – the classrooms [inserted] larger cold [/inserted] Cranwell classrooms were not heated – [deleted] well ours wasn’t – fuel was being saved [/deleted]

[inserted] Arrived Cranwell Station [Indecipherable word] 1. o’clock.

The coal soon run out

OHMS Law.

TR D/F

[Deleted words] [/inserted]

[page break]

So we sat in [deleted] Schoolroom [/deleted] [inserted] our [/inserted] desks - [deleted word] each. dressed in our greatcoats’ & gloves – [inserted] even the lectures [indecipherable word] in their outdoor attire. [/inserted] towards the end of the Course – 2 months – some of us had chilblains on feet & hands – [inserted] or Glasgow [/inserted] citizens were [deleted] are very [/deleted] love to chat;’

Our [deleted] Instructors [/deleted] Instructors was Cpl [Corporal] [symbol] [deleted] William [/deleted] Metcalfe – middleaged [sic] – a kindly man & Cpl Gallacher. a Scot from Glasgow. – both in Civilian life had been teachers – [deleted word] [inserted] [deleted word] [/inserted] were excellent instructors – but the Glasgow accent [inserted] of Mr Gallaghe [/inserted] for a looney ? like me had to be listened to very very carefully to understand Him [deleted] Glasgow accent [/deleted] [inserted] The result [indecipherable word] [/inserted] [deleted word] The Winds always blowing [inserted] I learnt this when Gorbals The [indecipherable word] closed mouth [/inserted] across Glasgow [deleted] means the natives there have to speak with [/deleted] dialects the Glasgow accent *

The Course Was a crash one [inserted] of 8 weeks, [/inserted] [deleted] including [/deleted] physics – [indecipherable word] – electricity Ohms Law – principles of the internal combustion engine – compassion [inserted] recession [/inserted] – induction power & exhaust – Morse & Aldis Lamp practice;

In the Hanger – draughty & colder – we were instructed in wiring & soldering [inserted] V.H F. short range [/inserted] civilian technicals [deleted] from [/deleted] [inserted] teacher [/inserted] [deleted] the college is from [indecipherable word] [/deleted] teacher instructed [deleted] in this [/deleted] [inserted] us [/inserted] in this & to me it was the hardest part of the Course not being at all practical. This instructor will [deleted] always [/deleted] be remembered by his opening words – [inserted] Always Be same [/inserted] which always amused [inserted] appealed To our sense of Humour [/inserted] – Now Girls always remember first of all to [indecipherable word] year [indecipherable word]‘ [inserted] I had waited for This course & I was determined to pass it. [/inserted]

[deleted] There [/deleted] I was so anxious to qualify in the work [deleted] I had already done [/deleted] [inserted] Looking Back [/inserted] – I loved so much I never knew of any of the station [inserted] social [/inserted] amenities [deleted] until later [indecipherable word] I went after the [/deleted] I just studied – went [inserted] into a nearby [/inserted] wood [inserted] & collected Twigs & Branches [/inserted] to keep the fires going – a fire I could never enjoy as the 2 other Waafs commandered [sic] the 2 chairs by the small fire place – [deleted] They thankfully did go out [/deleted] when they were not [inserted] out [/inserted] enjoying the [deleted] amenities [/deleted] [inserted] night life [/inserted] of Cranwell – I was really scared of the Scots girls fiery temper – I think I was resented because I was keen to study & they werent – It was a sad lonely time & so cold one The greatcoat was a blessing – an extra blanket at night & a defence [inserted] during The day [/inserted] against the cold classroom & Hanger.

Cranwell was as if isolated from the world there were no newspapers – no news but we were instructed that if we heard an aircraft take off from there with an unusual [inserted] engine [/inserted] sound – we were not to talk about it to anyone – The jet engine

Noise [indecipherable word] o R./[missing letter] Pfo. & D/F direction Finding [/inserted]

[inserted] Test Tec Proc [calculation] 2 Test Tec Proc [calculation]

[inserted] [deleted] Before the [/deleted] The One episode that always in my memory was Church Parade. We [deleted] Was to [/deleted] had To wait by the Church until all other ranks was assembled & the wind was Withering we were last into the church – The next Sunday. Not one [indecipherable word] Waafs attended [inserted] [deleted] [indecipherable word] [/deleted] [/inserted] The Parade. [/inserted]

[inserted] I learnt [7 indecipherable words] gorbals slums – Glasgow [missing word] not opened Too wide Because of the the [sic] gales That Blow Through The city.

[page break]

Cpl Metcalfe Cpl Denis Gallagher 3/ [inserted] [underlined] Cranwell [/underlined] [/inserted]

Ive. later learned it was the jet engine being tested.

I can't quite remember I think it must have been because of the lack of fuel, that [deleted] I was given [/deleted] we were moved out from the downstairs room & I was given an upstairs flat to myself my other ‘Flatmates’ who had used Cranwell for Socialising with the many [inserted] force [indecipherable word] [/inserted] airmen on the station – there were a majority of Poles were moved away – they couldn’t [inserted] / [indecipherable word] The poles Their reputation did not enhance [/inserted] for improving their ‘Social life’ to the neglect of the Course departed elsewhere – & I believed failed [deleted] the Course. [/deleted] [inserted] it [/inserted] [inserted] for me their attraction [/inserted]

Church Parade is a very important occasion for his Majesty's Forces – At Cranwell it is held [deleted word] every Sunday – we assembled on the [Deleted] Station [/deleted] Square in front of the Church – After Standing there for what seemed hours in a Wintry gale – blowing right through us – we were the last unit to enter the Church. There was some grumbling amongst us – re how cold we were, but nothing more – however – the next Sunday morning, without any arrangements to do so – not one WAAF turned up for Church [inserted] * [/inserted] Parade – [inserted] There was a rude awakening [/inserted] Pandemonium – NCO’S rushing around every [deleted] Married] [/deleted] [inserted] WAAF [/inserted] quarters banging on the doors & shouting our names – we were hauled from our beds – 200 of us & [deleted word] were told to report with full Kit at the Admin Office – the result we were all charged to report every [indecipherable word] with full Kit to the Office – [inserted] every [/inserted] was [deleted] given [inserted] every [/inserted] [/deleted] evening [inserted] we were [/inserted] cleaning work – [indecipherable word] for a fortnight – & [deleted] of course were [/deleted] confined to camp – the NCOs (admin) were very cross because they had all the supervising of this [inserted] so they were confined to camp Too [/inserted] & Waaf Officers heads must have rolled too – By the end of the fortnight Cranwell had never been so clean – [inserted] [underlined] But [/underlined] [/inserted] & someone must have felt a little sorry for the way we had had to face the cold blast on Church Parade – as we were never [deleted] asked [/deleted] [inserted] instructed [/inserted] to attend again.

I swear there had been no conspiracy or consultation we were all in the same frame of mind – [deleted] [inserted] and [/inserted] & very cold [/deleted] [inserted] * [/inserted] [inserted] & we had all been very very cold [/inserted]