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about in ditches and under hedges with a rifle", so she became a driver, hoping that this might be a short cut to a front seat in an armoured car or a tank. This has not materialised, but she has been on rather realistic exercises - the next best thing. Here I quote her (her first thrill came when she was detailed to drive an Umpire's car on one of the Sunday Exercises):

"If I hadn't known it was an exercise," she says, "I should have had the wind-up - for at one point, whilst waiting for my C.O. (who was acting as Umpire), I discovered several black-faced, murderous looking H.Gs. armed with Stens and hand-grenades, crawling around and under the car with the obvious intention of putting out of action a Spigot Mortar on a street corner some fifty yards away. The battle raged fast and furious for some minutes with hand-grenades bursting and rifles cracking all round me until, eventually, one side won the day. I was glad I was not an Umpire having to decide which side had won. All I know was that I was sorely tempted to get under the car until it was all over."

It was Dorothy Cope who, at the aforementioned luncheon, described our Sergt.-Major, Mac as "doing rough things in a nice way", a remark which caused a lot of amusement. Her big trouble is that she knocks her cap off when she salutes.

Doris Arblaster is the genial, smiling wife of a Sergeant in the Rushall Coy. Keen and industrious, she was one of the original volunteers. Her wish was to train and work with the Rushall H.G.  Evelyn Jackson, also one of the originals, is pretty and blonde and, as far as I know, is the only one who has found a spot of romance to leaven up the job. She is a competent phonogram operator, and was one of the four chosen to represent the women in the test I have spoken of. Olive Hingley, her "buddy", is a brunette, rather serious, with little to say, but with her heart in her job and she does it well. They are both of Aldridge. Margaret Hackett, slim and alert, who has a family tradition of service as one of her reasons for joining. She, too, has done excellent work, and was one of the picked "four". She comes from Rushall. Janet Wright hails from Great Barr; one of our stalwarts. She has seldom missed a parade since she joined us, although it has often meant a long and dark cycle ride in the winter. A jolly good sort. Jean Robinson, who came to us from Weston-super-Mare where she had joined, also has a father in Signals. A popular youngster with us all; home - Streetly. Ann Hough is another of the Aldridge girls. Brunette, rather serious, but with a keen sense of humour and a charming smile. She is clever and has acquitted herself well. Gertrude and Doris Shaw, sisters, the representatives of Walsall Wood. Ash-blonde and very "alive" they were a welcome addition to our ranks, and joining later than some, they soon made up for lost time. Dorothy Godfrey, a pleasant young brunette from Pelsall, doing well on the job, had to leave us when the call came to the Women's Land Army. Eileen Jones is our "baby", a product of the Guides, whose                                                                                      (......continues.....)

 

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