Wren Edna Sewell
In February 1943, I achieved my ambition of joining the W.R.N.S. and if honest, it wasn't patriotism but the uniform that seemed more flattering! The sea was in my blood, so I found myself in the R.N. Recruiting Office in Albert Square, Manchester with a questionaire in front of me, such as "Why did I wish to join"? "Did I have relatives in the Navy"? and pictures of R.N. Officers sleeves from which I had to recognise the Rank. I must have done O.K. as a few weeks later I was sent a travel warrant with instructions on how to get to Mill Hill, North London. My destination was a large new building which the Admiralty had taken over. It is now the Cold Research Institute! For me it was a very exciting journey on my own to London, I'd never been further than Blackpool before. So there I was with what seemed hundreds of girls like myself, putting on uniforms and learning our basic training,such as saying "going ashore" instead of "going out" and remembering to look what the "Dress of the day" was. If it was 'Greatcoats' and we tried to wear 'Raincoats' then there was no going ashore that day, but we learned very quickly. After this training we were posted to various naval bases.
I went to Chatham where I served as a Writer in the Surgeon Commander's office at the Naval Hospital and I loved it. However, after 6 months this came to an end, when I was drafted to a Convoy Signal Base at Southend on Sea. Here with about 10 other Wrens, we kept the Confidential Signals books up to date which we kept in lead lined bags and issued to the R.N. Signalmen at the conference, before they left on each convoy, going through the English Channel or up the East Coast.
The busiest and most secret time I remember was the build up to D-Day when merchant ships were loaded with Army supplies in the London Docks and sailed down the Thames to Southend, where hundreds of ships assembled off Southend Pier and along with their escort naval vessels, were formed into Convoys ready to sail to France.
8th May 1945 was V.E. Day. 12th May 1945 I married and within a month was discharged from the W.R.N.S., as in those days married women weren't allowed to serve in the forces, during peace time. I was given a post office book containing my very small discharge gratuity payment. Mine was No 1 so I could possibly claim to have been the first Wren to leave after the war.
All Wrens in W.W.II were volunteers. There was no conscription into the W.R.N.S. and there was no policing. The R.N. police had no jurisdiction over us and we were very proud of this, but if a Wren went A.W.O.L. or committed a crime, she was immediately dis-honourably discharged and, being of conscription age, could possibly be called up for ammunitions or the Land Army. That was really was hard work. I only knew of one case during my service.
Editors Footnote:
Primrose Buckle - who has contributed some of her own memories to the Royal Observer Corps article - mentioned to me that she joined the ROC to avoid joining the WRNS because she disliked the idea of perpetuating the wearing of boarding school type long knickers down to the knee any longer! I asked Edna about this; she confirmed that official ones were indeed long although not made of wool; they were not very comfortable and were known as 'blackouts'!