Brackley Care Home resident Mary remembers VE Day
Brackley Care Home resident Mary Middleton (nee Habgood) who recently turned 99 years old clearly remembers the day when, aged 17 ½, she and her two close friends Edna and Betty joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS). She said: “It was a very exciting day for us although we had no idea of what lay ahead. I was not, however, allowed to serve until I had turned 18 years old.”
Mary told us that she trained on the HMS Pembroke, went on to the HMS Victory and ended up at Stamshaw Camp where she was assigned to Communications (Switchboard and Telephones) and based at Fort Southwich, Portsmouth.
She said: "I spent two and a half years working deep underground but we all just got on with it. After an eight-hour shift however, the steps on the way up were a lot harder than on the way down at the start of our shift!"
Wrens initially performed domestic and office-based duties, but their roles expanded over time to include wireless telegraphists, electricians, photographers and even coders. The Wrens made significant contributions to the war effort and played a key role in paving the way for women to serve in the Royal Navy in various roles today.
Mary was awarded a medal for services rendered whilst she was in the Wrens and proudly showed this to all her friends at the Brackley Care Home when they recently celebrated VE Day.
Mary's daughter Angela said: "I am so incredibly proud of my mother for all that she achieved and at such a young age too."