The extracts are taken from the many personal letters written by my mother to her mother and great aunt during World War II. They were left to me on my mother’s death in 2001.
My mother – Betty Sibthorp Findlay – joined the WAAF in 1942. Her nickname was ‘Johnny’.
Service No. 2063706 79 NZ Sqdn./149 Sqdn.
Called-up 7 January 1942
Joined 31 March 1942
ACW1 1 September 1942
LACW 1 February 1943
Cpl. 20 November 1943
A/Sgt. 15 May 1946
F/Sgt. 23 April 1946
Between 1942 and 1944 she was based at No. 12 OTU 92 Group Bomber Command, Chipping Warden, Oxfordshire .
In December 1944 she was posted overseas, first to Ceylon and then to Singapore.
Her service record is as follows:
– 111 Sqdn. Indian Ocean 1944-45. Cpl.
Colombo, Celyon
– HQ ACSEA Kandy, Celyon
PA to WAAF Chief Staff Officer
– HQ ACSEA Tanglin, Singapore 1945. Cpl.
on Mountbatten’s Staff
– HQ ACSEA RAF Changi, Singapore 1945-47 Sgt.
Whilst in Singapore married Sgt. John J Duignan, RAF
Her final posting was to RAF Hanover in 1947.
Transcript:
© Elizabeth Sibthorp Duignan (2001)
From:
Service No. 2063706. Cpl. FINDLAY, Betty Sibthorp
Secretarial Branch
111 Sqdn. Indian Ocean
Base Headquarters
RAF Colombo
Ceylon
To:
Miss Elizabeth Worrell Sibthorp (Aunt) & Mrs Grace Findlay (Mother)
My dearest both
Letter 206: Thursday, 9th August 1945
What do you think of this new bomb? [an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945, followed by another on Nagasaki on 9th August – I think my mother is referring to Hiroshima]
We are all wondering how long it will be before we all home now – no war, no WAAF!
Letter 208: Saturday, 11th August 1945
As you can imagine there is no small excitement here – bags of panic in fact! Last night I had washed my hair and sitting with it a la Lana Turner – sewing a name tape on my khaki socks when someone came along and said the war was over. Just like that. So I went on sewing!
[Some of her fellow-WAAFs went to the NAFFI to have a bottle of beer with some of the men but my mother couldn’t as she still had wet hair. One of her friends came back from the NAFFI and opened a parcel of cake from home.]
When the church-bells began to ring and rockets and rockets and sirens started in the harbour – Verey lights – green and red – stars and Heaven knows what. Then someone produced a bottle of brandy which we proceeded to drink in tea-cups! … Then we retired to bed. It was terribly noisy – the Mess next door was awful – at gone midnight my Squadron Officer who was on duty called in – we must have looked funny so early on ‘VJ’ night in bed in curlers!
We talked for a long time and then off to sleep. The amount of work this morning is definitely ‘NIL’ !!!!
Don’t start expecting me home any minute – will you?! We have no idea what we are doing.
P.S. ‘The day I won the war …’!!!
HAPPY VICTORY!!
Letter 209: Sunday 12th August 1945
As victory does not seem to have arrived despite yesterday’s celebrations, here I am settling down to – I hope, a quiet Sunday morning.
When victory comes – don’t worry over lack of letters – everything will stop for 2 days. I shall write of course but don’t imagine they will leave Cbo. [Colombo] for two or three days.
Letter 210: Monday, 13th August 1945
Still no peace news.
Letter 211: Tuesday, 14th August 1945
No mail and still the old living on the edge of a volcano feeling.
We realised that there was to be an announcement sometime today – at 13.00 hours it was – local time – and then we forgot about it. Sitting on my bed doing some sewing alter lunch I suddenly realised that it was nearly 2-0 (14.00 hours) so I asked Vicki (her room-mate) if she had heard any news. Oh yes, she said, there was a News Flash at 13.00 to say that the Japanese had accepted our terms. So its over we said – she answered “yes” and went off to steep again ! No-one seemed very disturbed – radio sets are like gold-dust anyway and half the programmes are in Tamil or Singhalese. However, on the way back to work there did appear to be some signs of rejoicing – a truck load of sailors went by singing loudly and when we reached the Secretariat there were a few men fixing the searchlights to begin the illuminations. So we felt it must be true. Coming up to our balcony I looked out over Colombo. It really is a beautiful city. The effect of the wide expanse of ocean and the width of the Galle Face Green make an impression of open spaces and freshness – entirely belied by the dripping heat. It was – still is – a lovely day – really tropically hot …
As I looked out over the city I could see the flags gradually appear until there were about a dozen blowing in the strong breeze. Still no-one knows the truth – is it over or is it not? We are all longing to know what you people at home are doing and thinking, and also a great many other unexplained things. The latest rumour is that an announcement will be made at 19.30. Oh! for a radio! John has made me promise that I will stay in the WAAFery until he comes down for me – however late he is – and also that I will not have anything to drink at all until he is with me! It’s quite obvious that there may be trouble – end of war causing wholesale unemployment in these parts, etc. but I’m so glad I have got John to depend on and you can rest assured that I shall not set forth until he comes!
There is a terrific atmosphere of excitement and no-one minds much what you do or say – or even if you do nothing! My Sq/o has gone off to play tennis with the C. – in – C. and I shall not be long before I’m on my way – I hope!
How I wish we could have been together just for one “Victory”- and especially this one. By the way – don’t for heavens sake start expecting me home on the next boat – it may make no difference to our two years at all – on the other hand it might – we don’t know any more than you do! … Roll on Victory!
Letter 212: Wednesday 15th August 1945
Well – is it over – or isn’t it?! The big snag out here is that most announcements are made in accordance with your local time and consequently we get them in the middle of the night and other odd times – to say nothing of the times when we don’t get them at all!
Nothing happened at all last night – it was very quiet but this morning it was even quieter so I was very surprised when my Sq/O said yes it was all over. The girl on duty in the Guard Room had already told me that the announcement had come through at midnight – your time – 1.e. 4.30 your time – sorry our time. So no wonder we didn’t know … We are wondering whether today is “V.J.” day today and tomorrow, or part of today, tomorrow and the next day – optimistic – that’s us! There is no noise and no excitement – we used all that up the first two false alarms!
… No doubt we shall have Victory Parades and what not.
Letter 212A Thursday, 16th August 1945
So it has really happened? We simply couldn’t believe it but at any rate, yesterday morning we packed up at lunchtime.
Letter 223: Sunday, 25th August 1945
Now for the parade. We had to assemble at 07.40 and stood for about two and half hours!
We were hot I’ll say! The uniforms! Can you imagine different detachments of these Indian regiments in cockaded turbans … and a dancing pipe band in scarlet, blue and gold. The Navy in white. The WRNS in white. Nursing Sisters. Air Force. Newly-arrived ATS girls. There were West Africans, East Africans, the Singhalese,Tamils, Sikhs with huge beards, Ghurkas with great knives, Lascars and Chinese, Dutch, Norwegians, French, South Africans, Canadians, Americans, Australians, New Zealanders, men from the heart of Burma, men from the Phillipines: every nation and every sort of fighting man. An amazing sight. Lord Louis [Mountbatten] took the salute. There were hundreds of photographers, thousands and thousands of people, five bands stationed at different points – and a perfect background: the blue sea and brilliant sunshine. An unforgettable event – I wouldn’t of missed it for worlds! It was broadcast and the man [commentator] said we were better than the WRNS! John got me a paper which I will send home but you will get the best pictures and reports.I can tell you better than write it. Left-right left-right for miles and miles it seemed! About a mile really, I suppose. At midnight I fell into bed saying ‘left-right – left right’!
