Pat Davies Y Station Wrens BBC Radio 4
Veteran Wren Patricia Davies can be heard on the link below to BBC Radio iPlayer describing her World War Two experiences at a Royal Naval Y Listening Station ‘manned’ by members of the Womens Royal Naval Service,.with one male RN Mechanic for the receivers. Pat’s pre-service knowledge of German meant that she was selected, upon entry, to serve as a W/T Special Duties Linguist. Her younger sister, Jean, also volunteered for the services and was appointed as a Cypher Officer in the FANYs (the First Aid Nursting Yeomanry). Both sisters signed the Official Secrets Act at the beginning of their service life in the 1940’s but it wasn’t until the early 1970’s that they felt able to share where they had been working, and what the work entailed!
Pat has been a tireless Ambassador for both the WRNS Benevolent Trust and the Association of Wrens & Women of the Royal Naval Services, travelling extensively to attend conferences, take part in presentations (both formal and theatrical). She recently featured in a BBC TV programme entitled ‘Freddies’ Fairies’ with two fellow Y station Wrens when they returned to Abbots Cliff, near Eastbourne, to the site of the WWII Y Station where they had all been posted.
This broadcast is still available on BBC Radio 4 iPlayer and tells of the Multi Atrts project ”Journey through Conflict’ which she shared with Iraq Veteran Maria Simpon.
See below for the link – the start time for this particular item is from 33.56 mins.
Archive photo by kind permission of the WRNS BT Trinity House Photo 2015
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