91�ȱ�

CONSCRIPTED!!

Jean Mentz (nee Beavis) was a happy teenager growing up in Teeside in 1939 when war broke out. By 1943, Jean, then aged 19, received her ‘call up’ papers and her family were very concerned about her future safety. Jean was told to report to Harrogate at Queen Ethelburgers School for something called ‘Initial Training’. Jean was taught how to march, present arms and how to salute — this was repeated numerous times each day as you had to perfect the routine in order to receive any pay. The pay turned out to be two shillings (approx 10p in today’s money) a day!! — enough to get by on in those days as the army housed and fed her and provided the uniform.

After initial training, Jean was sent to Golders Green in London to work as an army typist. Golders Green was considered a very ‘posh’ area as many film stars and wealthy Jewish people had lived there. Several bombs had been dropped on the area so the normal inhabitants had been evacuated and the houses had been requisitioned as army offices. Jean remembers using a bathroom which was decorated in Mother of Pearl. A far cry from the type of bathrooms she had been used to in Teeside.

Jeans next posting had an air of mystery about it — she was told to report to the RTO, whatever that was. Apparently there was an RTO in most railway stations, so Jean eventually discovered she had been posted to 91�ȱ� Services in Norfolk. 91�ȱ� Services was a term applied to a ten mile strip around the coast of Britain which was thought vulnerable to air attack from the Germans.

Jean joined the Royal Norfolk Regiment as a typist and worked in Britannia and Nelson Barracks for eighteen months. While she was there her social life improved enormously as there were many American air bases in the surrounding area (Attleborough, Thorpe Abbot, Horsham etc). The American pilots flying B17’s and B24’s were involved in daylight bombing raids against the Germans.
Jean went to many of the Yanke Dances and quote, “Had a ball”. She remembers being invited to one particular dance — it was to be a very grand, special affair, but, at very short notice the dance was cancelled. She discovered later that Glen Millar was supposed to be playing but his plane had gone missing.

The Americans were very good at moral boosting functions and the air bases were visited by many film stars of the day. Jean remembers James Cagney and James Stewart visiting.

Jean moved on to a ‘Holding Unit’ in Leeds which was sited at Heddingly Cricket Ground. Everyone had to be very careful not to walk on the actual cricket pitch.

From there Jean was sent to Catterick and was a member of Messing Committee 45. She had to do the inventory for Christmas celebrations for the whole of Catterick camp!! While Jean was on leave at Christmas, she worried herself sick about everyone at the camp getting a Christmas dinner.

While at Catterick, Jean worked with one of the German POWs — his name was Hans and he seemed such a pleasant boy, he showed her photographs of his family. She remembers one embarrassing incident - when walking to work one morning she saw Hans coming in the other direction. He called ‘Guten Morgan’ Jean, and she replied ‘Good Morning Hans’.
Several British service men were in hearing distance and started to shout abuse at her for being so familiar with a German. She should have known better, Catterick was floor to ceiling kharki and feelings against the Germans were very strong.

In 1945 Jean married a local boy from Teeside and was demobbed from the army. Jean’s husband had been a meteorological air observer and had flown with the Americans. He had been instrumental in deferring the original date of D-Day for 24hours because of his weather assessment. Thankfully, his assessment had been correct!!

Story told by Jean Mentz (nee Beavis)
Story written and submitted by Paula Phillips.

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