Driving Lorries in the Wrens

I joined the WRNS in 1943 (aged 22 years) after having been in the Civil Defence since 1939 as an Ambulance Driver. After initial training at Mill Hill and the British School of Motoring in London I was posted to Inverness Scotland.I had asked to be posted to Nore Command at Chatham to be near home as my Brother was in the RAF in Canada, but 300 Wrens were required at Inverness where Invasion Exercises were taking place at Burghead Bay (we did not know this at the time). We were taken to Cameron Barracks which were very bleak with 20 of us sleeping in a Barrack room with no hot water just a wash room with 3 basins,later a corrigated iron bath house was built outside.
On our first day we were taken to be allocated our 3ton Lorries these were much bigger than the one in which we had taken our test in London.We were then given our Duties ,I was sent with 3 other Drivers to Thornbush where an old Distillery had been taken over by the Navy as a Victualling depot.Our duties were to go and collect supplies from Station and also to take food to the Landing Craft at Fort Rose and Cromarty.We always had a working party supplied by the Navy or the Army, as we were on Combined Operations the Army were also at the Barracks but they were under canvas.
We also took supplies to the Royal Marine Commandos.We could be sent out at all hours of the day or night.Driving in the snow with dimmed headlights and no signposts was sometimes quite hazadus.Practically the only other vehicles on the road were Tank Carriers and I was once ditched by one of these but with the help of my working party and a few stones from the dry stone wall I managed to get out!On another occation when driving to Fort Rose at night a dog ran in front of my Lorry, I instinctivly breaked and when I reached my destination one of my working party had to go to the Wren Sickbay as he had been thrown forward and bashed his head,there were no seats in the Lorry. Imagine my surprise when the next time I had to go out and required a working party this same Marine appeared with his bandaged head.When I told him that I thought he would never again come out in my Lorry he told me that as he was "on a charge"it was the only way he could get out of the Barracks!
During this time Invasion exercises were in progress nearby and eventually every body left the Barracks to go down South,but we 4 drivers were left as the base which was only tempory and had to be closed down and Lorries were required.I fogot to say that the Base was called "HMS Monster" One day I had to drive to the dockyard at Rosyth (which is in Edinburgh) with some stoves that had to be returned.I spent all my tine there
driving round the dockyard and by the time I set off to return to Inverness it was dark. I was told to report for duty the next day but when I woke up I couldn't open my eyes and had to report to the sick bay. I think it was as a result of driving all day in the snow,I had snow blindness.
Eventually the Base was closed and I got my posting South,first of all at the Admiralty and then to Parkston Quay at Harwich "HMS Badger" there I was driving vans and cars as well as a Lorry but we didn't have our own vehicle so the driving was more varied.
Just before I was demobbed I was at Great Baddow near Chelmsford " HMS Leigh"driving civilian men to Signal stations in the middle of fields, I think they had some connection with Marconi's which was at Chelmsford.
Although my later postings were more comfotable than my stay at Cameron Barrcks my fondest memories of my Service life are of my time at" HMS Monster" when our only recreation was to set off in the back of a Lorry to dances at Fort George and various other Army Bases. Although it was cold and uncomfortable we felt we were really contributing our bit towards the end of the War.

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