One Woman's War

Eileen Younghusband

Description

The Second World War is dominated by heroic tales of men defending their country against a formidable enemy but what about the women who also played their part in fighting for freedom? Eileen Younghusband BEM (92) was just 18 when she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). She quickly demonstrated her keen intellect and mathematical skills, playing a crucial role in Fighter Command's underground Filter Room. Working gruelling shifts under enormous pressure she and her companions worked tirelessly, tracking the swarms of enemy aircraft that sought to break the British resolve. She even had the dubious honour of detecting the first of Hitler's devastating V2 rockets as it fell on an unsuspecting London. This book gives a vivid insight into the life of a young woman facing the grim reality of war.One Woman's War won The People's Book Prize 2012/2013 for non-fiction.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Memoir

Informations

• Publié par: Candy Jar Books
• Date de parution: 04 juillet 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780992754860
• Langue: English

Extrait

One Woman’s War

Eileen Younghusband




“The Work carried out by the WAAF on Radar Operations during WW2 was a major contribution in the defence of our country. This book is a testament to their valuable work.”
- Dame Vera Lynn



Copyright Eileen Younghusband 2011

Published by Candy Jar Books



This book is available in print at most online retailers.

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted at any time or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the copyright holder.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

A catalogue record of this book is available
in print from the British Library.

www.candyjarbooks .co.uk
http://www.onewomanswar.co.uk



Reviews

“I think readers of 'The Secret Life of Bletchley Park' and fans of 'The History Channel' will love Eileen's fascinating story of her role at RAF Fighter Command during WWII.
This book offers a thrilling and unique perspective on Britain's 'darkest hours' as she recalls the excitement, the dreadful losses and the sheer terror of war. Eileen tells a gripping and deeply moving story that kept me riveted through every aspect of her involvement in some of the war's most pivotal moments.”
John Barrowman

“Eileen's story is an inspiration to us all. We must never forget the selflessness, determination and bravery that people like Eileen showed on a daily basis during the Second World War. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”
Carwyn Jones (First Minister of Wales)

“A fantastic insight into life as it was in one woman’s eyes from 1938, this book grabs your interest from the first page…
I found this book hard to put down and it constantly left me wondering what the next chapter would bring. I almost felt like I was there with her, and it is definitely one of the most exciting reads I’ve had in a long time.”
Sue Keily (Aeroplane Magazine)

“In this vivid memoir of working in the top-secret Filter Rooms of RAF Fighter command, Eileen pays tribute to the unsung, maths-minded women of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. Their calculations, based on information supplied by primitive Radar network, forewarned of Luftwaffe targets, saved lives and vital resources.”
Kate Saunders (Saga Magazine)

“If you know your history then give local author Eileen Younghusband’s new memoirs a try. Former WAAF, Eileen’s One Woman’s War reveals the truth about the top secret Filter Room and the often forgotten woman who worked tirelessly for the war effort. Eileen, who lives in Sully in the Vale of Glamorgan, writes her memoirs from 1938 onwards. Later this year, we’re told, the 90-year-old will be taking a commemorative flight in the last remaining two-seater Spitfire in the UK. What a woman!”
Ladiesfirst Magazine, Cardiff

“Brilliantly written and eminently readable, the title One Woman’s War belies the amazing and rare wartime career path of Eileen Le Croissette in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. This is no ordinary story; to become a Filterer Officer required great aptitude, skill and judgement to interpret the often-confusing information from the Radar stations.
Altogether there were probably less than 200 WAAF Filterer Officers and Eileen was one of only eight to serve in Belgium targeting the V2 missile launch sites. As well as serving at 11 Group Filter room, Fighter Command on the night of the Normandy invasion, she later received the Big Ben warning when the first V2 was detected approaching London.
Married only a few weeks, Eileen was then posted to 33 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force in Belgium, as a carefully chosen team sent to locate mobile V2 launch sites, by Radar and sound data, so airborne strikes could destroy the launchers before they returned to base. As war ends, she is assigned as a guide to the German concentration camp near Brussels. Not only facing the stark reminders of torture and human degradation, she suffered insults and antagonism from the imprisoned Belgian collaborators who replaced the camp inmates.
The whole story is set against an intriguing backdrop of family and long-time friendships and correspondence with German and French pen pals, which in retrospect, contained many different perspectives on the Nazi regime.”
Squadron Leader Mike S. Dean MBE (Historical Radar Archive)

“In her autobiography, Not an Ordinary Life, Eileen Younghusband gave us a glimpse into the wartime experiences of a WAAF Special Duties Officer engaged in vital work in the Filter Rooms of Fighter Command, and later, in Belgium helping to track the deadly V2 rockets back to their firing sites. In One Woman’s War, this vital period in the life of this country, is described in considerable detail, and constitutes an important personal account of an aspect of women’s contribution to the Allied victory in 1945 that is often overlooked or not known about at all. The work that went on in the Filter Room was crucial to the ultimate success of Fighter Command operations during the Battle of Britain, demanding the highest level of concentration and competence from the women engaged in it.
This personal account also provides a fascinating insight into the creation and operation of the Chain Home defence system and the wartime development of Radar, written by one who was among the first to have to get to grips with this unprecedented leap forward in wartime technology. The view from the Filter Room shows us the progress of the war in Europe in a new light, and the book also tells a very human story of how momentous events shaped the life of a young woman in wartime Britain.”
Stephen Walton (Senior Curator Documents and Sound Section, Imperial War Museum, Duxford)

“This is a remarkable memoir. A personal story intimately entwined with the great events of the Second World War. As a naïve teenage exchange student, Eileen Younghusband saw Nazi Germany in the months before war broke out. Returning on the eve of war she later took a crucial role in the British Radar operations. Then, venturing abroad again, she saw firsthand the post war desolation of Europe. This is a story of great events - but it is also the story of how those great events shaped and transformed the life of a young London office worker.”
Nick Skinner (BBC Wales)


Dedications

This book is dedicated to the airwomen and officers of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force who worked in the Filter Rooms of RAF Fighter Command during World War Two. The Filter Room was the nerve centre of the Radar chain. These young women working underground, at speed, both night and day, calculated from Radar reports the position, height and numbers of all aircraft approaching our coast. From this information, hostile aircraft were intercepted, air raid warnings given and air sea rescue undertaken. They remained silent under the Official Secrets Act for thirty years. The story of their work has never been told. It is time to recognise their invaluable contribution to the successful defence of Great Britain in its darkest hour.


Acknowledgements

It is thanks to the encouragement of Hugh Turnbull that this book has been written. After his interview with me entitled My Secret War for BBC Radio Wales, he suggested I should write in detail the unknown story of the Filter Rooms of RAF Fighter Command, which were the key to the victory in the Battle of Britain, and also of the V2 attacks on South East England and on Antwerp, the Allies first free port. He has acted as editor, researcher and encourager.
My thanks must also go to Flight Officer Grogono (now Joan Arundel) for her memories of the Filter Room at the outbreak of World War Two.
I am grateful for the support I have received from Shaun Russell, Rebecca Lloyd-James and Justin Chaloner from my publisher Candy Jar Books.
I thank Jill Le Croissette for her perceptive comments on the text. I give a special thanks to Dame Vera Lynn for her encouragement and also to Emma Soames for graciously contributing a foreword. I appreciate too the comments of those who have reviewed the book.
The pictures of the Filter Room are taken from the IWM film entitled The Scope and Purpose of the Filter Room, reference AMY01 and 02 and are used by courtesy of the Imperial War Museum.


Contents

Foreword
Prologue
The Forgotten Letter
Au Pair
The Munich Crisis
Britain at War
The Phoney War Ends
The Glory of the Defeat
Dangerous Days
The Blitz
Decision Time
The New Recruit
Marching, Saluting & Posting
Learning the Secret
Operation Plotter
The Home of Radar
Receiving the King’s Commission
First Tracks
Back to Bath
The Hub
Mostly about George
Unexpected Events
A Year of Change
Threats and Promises
An Eventful Month
Second Tactical Air Force
Victory in Sight
Beginning of the End
Breendonk: Camp of Silence and Death
Picking up the Threads
Learning to Teach
Coming to Terms
Epilogue
Reminiscing
Postscript
Glossary
Table of Contents
Title Page
Foreword
The Forgotten Letter
Au Pair
The Munich Crisis
Britain at War
The Phoney War Ends
The Glory of the Defeat
Dangerous Days
The Blitz
Decision Time
The New Recruit
Marching, Saluting & Posting
Learning the Secret
Operation Plotter
The Home of Radar
Receiving the King’s Commission
First Tracks
Back to Bath
The Hub
Mostly about George
Unexpected Events
A Year of Change
Threats and Promises
An Eventful Month
Second Tactical Air Force
Victory in Sight
Beginning of the End
Breendonk: Camp of Silence and Death
Picking up the Threads
Learning to Teach
Coming to Terms
Reminiscing
Postscript
Glossary
Foreword

If, like me you come from the generation below that of Eileen Younghusband, most of your knowledge about the conduct of the aerial defence of the realm, as practised by young women during the Second Worl