Wings Over Wick
1939 - 1945
Women At War

Doris Jones, Long Whatton
I was in the WAAF from 1941 until 1945 and during this time I was stationed at RAF Wick for three years. During this time it was a Coastal Command Operation Station, the aircraft used were Whitleys, Wellingtons looking for German subs and mines. I don't know if things have changed but during the week there were only two trains a day out of Wick, at seven in the morning and 3.30 in the afternoon to Inverness. This was a protected area, so everyone going back off leave was searched.

One winter, two or three trains were snow bound just outside Dingwall and food had to be dropped from planes from Wick to the passengers. I was one of them. This was in January 1945. The lighthouse near the camp was used as a "May Day" station in those days called OCCULT where planes in distress called for help. There were only three in the country, Wick, Long Whatton and another in the South of England.

The WAAF replaced the men at most jobs. I was a cook at Wick and we dealt the food to the May Day stationeers. While on leave sometime later I met and married the NCO in charge of the Long Whatton one. The people in and around Wick were wonderful to us and I enjoyed being there. In the time I was there, there were only two picture houses where the same film was shown on different weeks.