FROM the GROUND

Air Classics, Apr 2004 by Hibbert, Joyce

WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO SEKVE IN BRITAIN'S ROYAL OBSERVER CORPS DURING WORLU WAR TWO

I had sat for written tests, passed the medical Al, and on 6 October 1943, 1 was reporting to the WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) Recruiting Center in Brighton, England. I'd intended joining the WAAF anyway and when a cousin died in his Spitfire crash at Hornchurch, 1 thought perhaps my service might partly replace his.

The recruiting officer explained to me that full-time personnel were needed for the ROC and I ended up later that day a deferred and numbered WAAF, training as a Woman/Observer in the Operations Room of No. 2 Group at Horsham, Sussex. From then until the end of the war, I worked at the most interesting job of my life.

all aircraft over our area, whether friendly or hostile, were plotted and tracked by sight or sound on the Main Table. The information was received by phone from a network of outdoor Posts. After familiarizing myself with the International Grid System, the alphabet code, assembling and moving plaques, and using a set of headphones with mike, I was assigned to the S (for Sugar) Posts in the Worthing area.

By November, my remaining four hours of duty would be spent on the newly-installed Long Range Board for which I had also been training. I stood on an elevated platform while bending over the Bromley area at the top of the LRB. Through information sent through my headphones from Bromley Center I was making up plaques showing aircraft heading south from Bromley into our Horsham area. Others on the LRB were connected with other ROC Centers on our horders. ROC hrass worked from a gallery overlooking the Main Tahle and across from the LRB. They, in turn, relayed relevant data to the Royal Air Force and, if hostiles were ahout, Fighter Command would decide whether or not to send up interceptors.

During that winter of 1943-1944, the Germans had renewed their night bombing with the "scalded cat raids." Accompanied by a male member of the Crew who lived in the same direction, 1 recall walking to or from the Center at midnight or 0400 hours when the sky was lit with criss-crossing searchlight beams. One never forgets the silver-white gleam of a bomber caught and held in the vortex of beams moving with it, or the sympathy felt if they lost it. Or the sirens, or the sound and shudder of bombs somewhere, all commonplace that winter.

At Christmas, my Canadian soldier fiance was able to spend the holiday at my home; I was on duty at Horsham. Our kind landlady and her children shared their celebrations with two ROC boarders spending their first Christinas away lrom home. My present lrom Norah Cram, the other girl, was a pocket diary. The man of the house was away serving in the Royal Marines.

The Allies were stepping up raids over enemy territory; RAF heavies by night, Americans by day. We plotted them in their hundreds together with all the fighters, Coastal Command aircraft, everything, Going out, straggling home, patrolling, on reconnaissance. just stooging. We tracked them all. Our job.

Among entries in the aforementioned diary:

22 Jan 1944 - Busiest time I've seen at Center last night when about 90 liosliles came over.

19 Feb 1944 - Very lnisy nielli at Center. Quite a do!

20 Fob 1944 - Su much activity during the night I couldn't sleep. Bombs on way Io Center at 4 am.

21 Feb 1944 - More raids in night. A few bombs near 1 lorsham.

One night when things were hot and heavy over London, I was kept unceasingly busy on the LRB as the hostiles turned and headed back southeast. The crisp and concise plots coming from the Bromley person enabled me to make up numerous plaques, plot or dismantle accordingly and repeated Iy - in spite of being bent over in that awkward position. It crossed my mind that the line sounded odd that night but there was no time to dwell on it. And a good thing too for at the end of the raid the Duty Controller singled me out for praise. He'd been plugged into my line and checked my every move. My face flushed even redder than when I was bending over the LRB!

Much as I enjoyed the Center duties, I was soon to leave them. During that period of heavy enemy activity I was asked whether I'd be interested in transferring to an outdoor Post to be opening shortly near my home. "You'll be the first woman to serve on a post on the southeast coast," they told me. I presume that deficiency related to the earlier imminent invasion threat. Work at the Center had its own fascination. Duties on the Post proved different but no, less interesting.

13 March 1944 - My first duty at L4 Post, Peacehaven. Had baptism of fire on midnight shift, Jerry a bit too close and dropping stuff.

Two people were on duty each shift and soon two other young women joined me, Vera Lynn full-time and Mary Cross part-time. Our Head Observer, F.D. Marston who preferred to be called Muggins, was protective of us and careful about whom he paired us with on the schedules. he once threw a shower of small gravel stones at my window when I had overslept for the 0400 hours duty.