ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

In October 1941 I voluntered to join the Waaf. I passed my medical and was told I would be notified when and where to report too. In November I was told to report to RAF Gloster where I was kitted out with my uniform. A week later I was posted to Morecambe where I did my initial training including 'square bashing, marching and PT at the open air swimming pool in December-very cold'.

My first posting to a base was to RAF Weeton near Blackpool. Initially I was given driver training but on the second driving test was then failed along with 300 others that day. Obviously there was too many doing driver training.

A few days after failing the driving test I heard my name and service number called over the tanoy asking me to report to the hospital matron. Previous to my joining the WAAF I had experience and some nursing training in the British Red Cross. I reported to the matron and was sent to work on a surgical ward caring for service men following a variety of surgical operations. This I did for three months.

I was then posted to Panal Ash College at Harrowgate for further training in first aid and nursing. After successfully passing the exams I was posted to RAF Yatesbury near Calne in Wiltshire. I spent a year there working in the hospital which I enjoyed, it was a pleasant busy time. The hospital dealt mostly with general illness. The base trained air crew but not pilots. It was quite a big RAF Hospital with 8 wards. The wards were staffed with a Princes Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Sister was in charge of each ward plus nursing auxilliarys and some Red Cross VADs. I was a nursing auxilliary.

We worked shifts, the shift starting at 8am until 1pm. We would be off duty until 5pm and then return to work the evening shift. Another shift started at 8am until 5pm and of course there was night shift from 9pm until 8am. We had breaks for lunch and supper in the evening.

We were allocated a bed in a hut with approximately 12 sharing. We had a locker for our clothes. When we rose in the morning after washing and dressing in our uniforms we then had to make our beds according to RAF regulation. The mattress was in three 'biscuits' ie three sections, these had to be stacked at the head of the bed. The sheets and blankets were folded and placed on an open blanket which was then folded over the others. This was placed at the top of the bed on the 'biscuits'. One night a week everyone was confined to the hut and had to clean their bed space. This included polishing the floor. When finished there was an inspection by the officer and the corporal in charge of the hut. If it was not satisfactory you had to do it again.

Meals were eaten in the Mess. Food was not too bad, we had enough. Three meals a day. At Christmas we had a wonderful Christmas Dinner with Turkey and all the trimmings served by the officers. A Christmas concert which included four Dutch Airmen who sang 'I'm dreaming of a White Christmas', it was beautiful.

From Yatesbury I was sent to Collerton Cross RAF base near Plymouth. Here I worked in a sick-quarters. This was a barrage balloon centre. We could hear the bombs falling on Plymouth during the blitz. Once a bomb fell on the camp on the vegetable patch fortunately there was no injuries. On our days off we could go into Plymouth and spent days sitting on Plymouth Hoe watching the ships coming and going. It was very interesting. We could also see Catalina Sea-planes and Sunderland Flying Boats landing and taking off from Plymouth Sound.

While stationed at Collerton Cross I was sent to the Air-ambulance school at Hendon. I was there about a month to six weeks, I cannot remember exactly. Here we learned how to transport casualties by air. We were given experience flying in Oxford, Anson and Dakota aircraft. We were taught how to use oxygen cylinders and administer morphine. We also learned how flying at high levels can affect some injuries. Exams were taken here which I passed. I was stationed at Collerton Cross for approximately one year.

In April 1944 I was posted to RAF Broadwell in Oxfordshire. This was to the Air Ambulance Pool. To begin with we were given flying experience again. We also erected large marquees to be used as field hospitals. This also involved laying roads of stone for the ambulances to reach the marquees. As D-Day approached all personnel were confined to the camp for about a month. No one was allowed to either enter or leave the camp. The camp was full of army not just RAF personnel including Paratroopers. Gliders were based at RAF Broadwell. All awaiting for the invasion of Europe.

On the 5th June 1944 we all watched as the aircraft all took off but they returned. Then on 6th June the sky was full of aircraft at night as the invasion had started.

(Sadly Rosa Keppie died on 29th April 2004 before completing her story. However I, her daughter, found some notes she had made so I will continue her story as far as I am able.)

A few days after D-day I had my first flight on an air ambulance. We landed at B6, the airstrips were identified by numbers.We were loaded with ammunition on the flights over and once unloaded we were able to take on board the casualties. The aircraft, Dakota transport planes could take 18 stretcher cases and three sitting cases. My first trip was to the Caan area of France. To begin with the casualties we loaded were wearing their 'battle fatigues' As time went on the field hospitals became established and we then loaded casualties wearing pyjamas and having had their wounds better treated. There were so many severely wounded young men. For me the ones who had severe burns from flame-throwing tanks were the worst. I can still smell the burned flesh.
As the war progressed we landed in other areas of France, Belgium and Holland. I flew from Holland with wounded from Arnhem. At the beginning we had to be back over the English Channel by 17.00 hrs. If we were unable to do this we had to stay the night in Europe. We were given tents to sleep in but I did sleep once under a hedgerow quite close to the gunfire. As time went on we did sleep in buildings, on one occasion the Gestapo headquarters in Brussels.
On occasion we brought back VIP's and other personnel. On one trip we flew back some paratroopers who had escaped from Arnhem through German lines.
I spent six months flying regularly on the Air Ambulance. This was considered to be long enough for such work. I was then posted to Wheeton Aston near Stafford. Here I spent the remainder of my time until I was demobed in 1946. During my time at Wheeton Aston I met William Keppie from Edinburgh who was to become my husband.
I enjoyed my time in the WAAF a time I would not have wished to miss. I made many friends including Myfanwy Davies, also serving on Air Ambulance, from Bettws yn Rhos in North Wales. She was a lifetime friend until she died aged 90 in 2000.
The war also led me to do my Nursing training at Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, Derby after I was de-mobbed. I continued nursing until I retired in 1979 apart from a break to have family. so it had a long time effect on my life.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.