Connie first register at the Labour Exchange in 1941. In this sound clip Connie explains that she had to have an interview to determine if she went into the forces or into the munisions factory; she wanted to go into the forces. Connie was accepted into the ATS in October 1941, when she was 21, but she wasn't called up to serve until June 1942.

Registering

Once Connie was went serve, she and many other ATS new recruits went on one month's training to Halifax at the Duke of Wellington Barracks. In doing so, Connie left her widowed mother in Manchester during the Blitz, but she felt she had no choice. It was here that Connie first received the ATS uniform; woolly vests and panties with khaki knickers that had elastics waists and legs - she was horrified! In another interview the girls were asked what they wanted to do in the ATS - Connie wanted to be a driver.

Barracks and Initial Training

Connie was accepted as a driver, and as she explains, she went on a ten week course to the driver training barracks in Hereford.

Driver Training

When the Connie and her ATS friends got their first posting it was to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. They were lucky as Connie and lots of her friends got to stay together. At Sandhurst was the Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) where they were training lots of men in the Tank Corps.

First Posting

At Sandhurst Connie was in the Wireless Wing, where they taught the Tank Corps to use the wireless radio's in the Tank. In the training Connie was the tank driver in mock up battles between the Tank troops.

During the mock up battles between the cadet troops they used to go out on exercises. During these the ATS would go too and share ration packs and then sleep on the local church hall floor - upto 30 ATS drivers shared the floor. On Wednesday and Thursday evenings the ATS would go with the cadets to the local pub where they would have a great time with the locals.

Sleeping on the Floor

During this time the cadets slept in the ATS trucks whilst the girls had 1 cold water tap and 1 toilet to all of them in the church hall. The ATS kicked up a fuss and eventually were given matresses! Connie stayed at this, her first posting from October 1942 until D Day in June 1944, when she then volunteered to serve overseas.

Conditions

During the war the women were not sent overseas, they had to volunteer. During this time when Connie and her friend volunteered there was no leave allowed because of the D Day invasions and they had to wait weeks to go home and break the news to their families that they were off overseas.

Sent Overseas

Connie volunteered for overseas service in August 1944. It wasn't until February 1945 that she was sent to a holding unit in Bristol where she had to report every four hours. They were there for two weeks before they were sent off to South End in London, not knowing where they were going, they stayed there for two nights before getting on a boat at Tilbury.

Posted

Connie and her friend did not know where they were being posted until they were given Belgium currency on the boat, and even then they didn't know what the were going to be doing. The boat journey took all night as they were zig-zagging across the Channel to avoid the mines - a great adventure as she recalls!

Sailing to Belgium

When they arrived in Belgium they were taken to Brussels where they were informed as to what they were going to be doing....

Landed

Having discovered she was going to be an Ambulance Driver, Connie was taken to the airfield and told that they were to pick up the wounded from here and take them to the hospitals.

Airfield

As an ambulance driver each ambulance had two drivers and they shared shifts; 24 hours on and then 24 hours off. It was here that Connie realised what war was about and remembers the worst time being when the Allies crossed the Rhine.

Ambulance

In these soundclips Connie explains what happened when they picked up the men from the plane and where they were taken, depending on their injury. When the men started to cross the Rhine the number of casualties increased and Connie demanded a medical orderly to some in the ambulance with her whilst she transported patients.

When VE Day came Connie was felt priveleged to celebrate liberation in a country that had once been occupied. She got to celebrate with a Belgium family who had saved up champage throughout the war for this day and Connie did the Conga throughout the square!

VE Day

Once the war in Europe had ended Connie was moved from Belgium to Holland, back to Belgium and then to Germany where she worked from October 1945 until March 1946 when she was demobbed.

Demobbed

Connie describes all of the vehicles she drove in her service career..

You name it...Connie has driven it!

Having a great memory, Connie explains how they used the wireless and even remembers the old phonetic alphabet!

Using the Wireless

When Connie was a Sandhurst she explains in these soundclips what the cadets would learn and what they did. She also explains that she is still in touch with some of the girls from their initial driver training.