“The best part was feeling that one really was part of the war effort”

Patricia Pern was an air mechanic in Lancashire then moved on to become a coder in Plymouth, Chatham and Trincomalee in Ceylon.

In 1941 my elder brother, who was in the Fleet Air Arm, was killed and I thought I would try to enrol for the Wrens.

One made many friends – I was fortunate enough to be with the same girl I met when we first joined up and our friendship endured until she died two years ago.

The best part was feeling that one really was part of the war effort. The downsides were difficult working and living conditions.

Coders worked underground. We went on duty at eight p.m. with one sandwich and returned to the Wrenery at eight a.m. to a disgusting breakfast which had been cooked at six a.m. for those following us!

I spent some nights at the top of the lighthouse on Plymouth Hoe, looking for buzz bombs.

In 1945 I was serving in Ceylon when we were asked to visit the prisoners of war who were being rehabilitated. These poor young men were in a lamentable state – incredibly thin with few teeth, little hair and looked grey.

Surprisingly, perhaps, we had plenty of giggles – mostly when we managed to outwit authority.

I was first stationed at an airfield in Lancashire and it was great fun to scramble through the barbed wire instead of going through the main gate when one was late back to camp!