LETTERS: 12 Autograph letters signed, from Private Winifred Field, 12th Auxiliary Territorial Service of the British Army, to her parents.
Twelve ALS Totalling 36pp., 12mo, and 16pp., 4to. In very good condition, on lightly-aged paper. With ten of the stamped and postmarked envelopes: seven addressed to Mr & Mrs Field and three to Mrs Field alone, all at Flat 1, Plas Gwyn, Hampton Park, Hereford.
Twelve Autograph Letters Signed ('Winnie' and 'Win') from Private Winifred Field, 12th ATS, to her parents in Hereford, giving an insight into the everyday activity of the Auxiliary Territorial Service of the British Army during the Second World War. Six of the letters on ATS letterheads. Written from British Army camps in Anglesey, Durham (Ouston), Shropshire and Wrexham (Hermitage) between 1941 and 1945.
An energetic and vivid correspondence, casting valuable light on the experience of women serving on the Home Front, as the following extracts indicate.
In an undated letter from a practice camp in Anglesey, Field writes: 'But as for this battery we are all sick and fed up with it. Somebody put a sanitary towell (sic) down the lavatry (sic) and stopped the drains up this afternoon. So off we had to march to the lecture room and as no one would own up to it we've got C.B. tonight and tomorrow night. Weve had to clean our boots and leggings and buttons. And weve to put on the boots and leggings, and our greatcoats and put our tunics on our beds, then at nine pm. we got to stand by our beds for an inspection, then tomorrow night weve got to have a kit inspection. We were not allowed to go for supper so a couple of Cols went to the N.A.A.F.I. and got us some cakes. The girls are in an uproar at the moment and no wonder its like a concentration camp.'
From the same camp, in another undated letter: 'There's been such a bust up in the camp yesterday morning we were ordered to stand by our lockers then in comes two officers and the medical officer. We then had to undress except for our knickers and were examined. By the way its a man. Then after tea we were told to lay all our kit out on our beds even all our personal belongings, and everything we possessed and had to stand in front of our beds holding up our groundsheets. Then into the barrack room walks two policemen a policewoman a detective and several officers. The policewoman looked at our kit especially our pyjamas and the police examined our groundsheets. One of the girls asked our ATS officer if we could have an explanation for all that but she said she was very sorry but she couldnt tell us yet why it was done. We have heard tales since then that a baby was found buried behind the N.A.A.F.I then we heard it was found wrapped in a pt of pyjamas and a ground sheet in the village but I dont know which is true. Then Rene and I had to go on fatigues at the hospital and the cook told us the baby was in the ward locked up and he said it had its throat cut. He said they had the girl there in the hospital and she was out of the 511 battery.'
Writing as 'Recruit W. Field, Hut A/2 No 1 Coy, 12th A.T.S. Hermitage Camp, Wrexham, North Wales' on 9 December 1941: 'Mum you seem to be able to get nicer things than we do. [...] On Monday we had dental parade and two Ack Ack lectures and a pay lecture and anyone could have 6d a day saved for them till they go on leave so I did that. Yesterday we had drill and a gas lecture and last night a dance was held in the other barracks for our Coy. I went over to watch them because there was nothing else to do but walk round town in the black out. So we were allowed out till 10.45. Today (Wednesday) we had to drill and march about for about an hour with our gas masks on. Then we had another Ack Ack test and I have passed. The sergeant asked me what I would like to go as in it. So I told her I would write and ask you if I could go or not. We have only come here to learn discipline and drill, then we have to go to another unit to do what we joined up for.' In another letter, with the address cut away by the censor, she writes that she has had to have 'my skirt altered they couldn't find one to fit me round the waist. We were all inoculated yesterday but it didn't have much effect on me, my arm is a bit stiff and it hurts if anyone bumps it. [...] We have our meals in a big dining hall and we have to march there with our knife, fork and big white mug. I hardly know what we have to eat but I do know there isnt much of it and the bit we had today was cold. The tea is awfull stuff you can see through it. And if we have one at the N.A.A.F.I. for which we have to pay a penny it tastes as if it came out of a thermos flask. [...] You wouldnt recognise me now I have to wear the peak cap but we are allowed to wear the forage cap off duty but we have to buy those. I have my kit bag gas mask and tin hat and cape and a gas cape. [...] these barracks used to belong to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, but as there were only a few left the A.T.S. took it over, but the soldiers are still here but they have their own quarters and we seldom see any of them, but I think its men who have to drill us.'
On 11 January 1942 she writes as 'W/101994. Gunner. W. Field, B Battery, J. 1 7th. Heavy A.A.A.T.S. special <?> Rgt R.A., Parkhall Camp, Oswestry, Salop': 'We've been on church parade this morning and we were frozen stiff and to crown it weve got C.B for the rest of the day because some of the girls werent out on parade. When one does something the whole lot cops it. Im sitting in bed with my overcoat over me writing this and a scarf round my neck. [...] I had a parcel from Reg too and
I havent got over the shock yet. Im sending most of it home to you though because I cant use it, for one thing I've got no tin opener and nothing to boil water in. Its tea and tin of milk, coffee and bovril, spagetti [sic] chocolate and cigs'. In another undated letter she writes Mum I wonder if you could wash these shirts etc for me if I wash them Ive nothing to iron them with and the laundry shrink them. Ive also sent my best pyjamas home because I wont want them now you've sent me those others.'
In an undated letter from Parkhall she writes: 'Ive been in the wars last week. My name was up on battery orders Thursday morning for dental parade and I had to walk into Oswestry and back in a blinding snow storm, the dentist took three teeth out.'.'
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