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Marjorie Exley, 3rd April 2004-07-26
Growing up Experience

I was born in Calbourne and grew up living at the Sun Inn.
In 1940 I joined the WAAF at the age of 19yrs. I had an interview at the Air Ministry in London and was sent straight away to West Drayton. It was rather a shock as I had expected to go home first. After 10 days I was asked where I would like to be based. I said “Hampshire” and they sent me to Yorkshire !
I was posted with 2 Bomber squadrons — 77 and 102. Just two months later, in August, our bombers were returning from a raid. It was lunchtime and I happened to be outside. To my horror I saw that they were being followed by German Stukas. The sirens were wailing and bullets were being sprayed everywhere. The scene afterwards was terrible. We saw bits of bodies everywhere.
I had grown up fast. In two months I had come from a little village on the Isle of Wight to witness war in all its horrors. I would never be the same again.

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