91Čȱ¬

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Pennie Hedge, a volunteer for 91Čȱ¬ London, on behalf of Dora Doughty and has been added to the site with her permission. Mrs Doughty fully understands the site’s terms and conditions.

When I was 17 ½ I joined the WRNS. I was engaged and my fiancee was going out to Canada to train as a pilot, and he would be gone for 18 months or more. My best friend joined the army. So I went into work one day and the girl on the switchboard said “Do you know what I’m going to do at lunchtime Dora, I’m going to Queen Anne’s Mansions”, she said “and sign on for the WRNS.” I said “I’m coming with you.” And we did.

We wanted to be writers. But when we went in for our interviews the officer said “Well all I’ve got at the moment is cooks, officers cooks, officers stewards or stewards.” I said “Officer’s steward” and when I went back to my friend — we didn’t go into see her together - Pam said “What did you say”, “Officer’s Steward”, I said. “So did I,” she said.

We were both about 17 ½ then, but we didn’t go for a couple of months. We had to have medicals and that. But when I got home that night I said to my mother, “Mum, I’ve joined the WRNS.” She was so upset. Now I can imagine what she must have felt. I think she didn’t want to lose me. In fact I was better off down there because I didn’t get bombed or anything. But they had the doodlebugs up in London. But I never experienced any doodlebugs or anything because I was stationed down at Portland, Dorset, and we didn’t have anything down there.

I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. The company, the girls. This is why I joined up, because I was quite a lively person, and all my friends were getting called up. The company was really fabulous. A lovely life.

I had three officers to look after and we used to have to make their beds, press their suits if they wanted us to, and keep their rooms tidy. And serve in the wardroom. Our officers used to put their shoes outside the door and we had to clean them. But when the Yanks came, they didn’t know anything about this, but they were told that if they left their shoes outside the room we would take them, clean them and put them back. All these chaps came in and I can remember one cabin with six officers and I noticed after a couple of mornings that there were only five pairs of shoes there, and I knew who the officers were, I knew who hadn’t left their shoes out. It was a Lieutenant Commander. So I went in and collected them.

When I was serving that night in the wardroom, this officer drawled “Hey, did you take my shoes?” (he came from down South). And I said, “Yes sir, we have to clean your shoes.” And he said, “Don’t you ever touch my shoes again. That’s a job for blacks.” So I said “I have to, it’s my job.” “You don’t do it” he said. “Come up to my cabin,” he said afterwards, “I have something for you.” “Oh, all right,” I said. So I went up and under his bunk he pulled out a great big case and in it he had make-up and nylons. And he said “Now what would you like?” And this is for nothing, I mean, they were alright, we didn’t have any problems with them. I could take my pick. But he said, “Now don’t forget, you don’t clean my shoes.”

It was an experience, meeting all these chaps. And they used to have parties in the wardroom. No women there, only us, and my best friend was the wine steward, and as I didn’t used to drink, (I didn’t get drunk or anything like that) I used to go to help her. They were real gentlemen. Oh, and before the Americans came, one of my regulars was a New Zealander. He was smashing and he used to call me Blossom. And it was Christmas and he said to me “Blossom come up to my room, I want to show you a map of where I live” So I when I went up to make his bed, he was in there, so he said “Come here Blossom” and he got this map of NZ, and he said “As its Christmas, how about giving us a kiss.” I shot out that cabin like a scalded cat.

D Day preparations

We knew something was up because all our leave was cancelled. Anyway we noticed that all the American army were arriving in Weymouth. Just walking down the High Street, it was packed solid with them. And then, at the base where I was, they got rid of all our sailors and all the American sailors came in with the officers. I was an officers’ steward. And where we used to have one officer in a cabin, all these bunks were put in so there were about 6 in one cabin — the rooms were called cabins — and it was packed solid. They were going to evacuate us WRNS because it was all Americans, but they didn’t.

In Weymouth the bay was absolutely full of landing craft. It was all fenced off. But on the night that D Day started In the early hours of the morning, all of a sudden we heard this roaring, we all jumped out of bed, looked out and there were planes going across with gliders as well. That was it, and we went back to sleep. And in the morning, everyone had gone, all the Americans, all the boats, everything, the place was deserted. We were excited because we thought that maybe the war would end soon. You don’t have fear when you’re 18 or 19 I don’t think. Of course we didn’t actually know what had happened. It wasn’t until lunchtime in the mess, that they announced that D Day had begun. It was a sigh of relief in a way, because you thought that maybe now things were packing up.

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