Wings Over Wick
1939 - 1945
Women At War

Sheila Thomson (nee Rankin), Edinburgh
I was in Wick in 1943 & 1944 as a WAAF MT (motor transport) driver. I was with nine other Scottish girls who were attached to 404 squadron RCAF.  So everywhere the Canadian squadron went, we went too. The squadron flew Beaufighters, each having a pilot and a navigator. Also on the aerodrome were Norwegian, New Zealand and RAF Squadrons, so it was a very busy place. The whole area was like a town in itself, catering for all our needs.

We were billeted in houses, in two or three to a room, whereas the men were in huts of perhaps 12 beds or more. We often had dances in the camp in the NAAFI hall, or we could go to the local picture house with very good films. Service life during the war was a fantastic experience, and has given me friends all over Great Britain and Canada.