Margaret Dufty of the ATS

Story: Elizabeth and Gordon Shaw

(This is a fuller version of the article from our June 2014 edition)

The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a voluntary organisation, later coming under military rule when the war started.

Margaret Dufty joined up in 1941 at the age of 18 – she was working as a barmaid in Blackpool at the time. Two of her friends had already volunteered for the forces so she decided to follow suit rather than taking the alternative option of working in a munitions factory.

On joining, at a starting pay of 11 shillings (55p) a week, Margaret was given a number – 79569 – and sent to Lancaster for three weeks training. First thing was the FFI – new recruits had to be passed as Free From Infection before being accepted and issued with a uniform: “3 vests, 3 pair white pants, 3 pair khaki silk pants, 2 pink bras, 2 pink corselettes, 3 pair of lisle stockings, brown shoes, skirt jacket and lanyard, 2 pair striped pyjamas, 3 towels, a ‘housewife’ sewing kit (which Margaret still has), shoe brushes, shoe horn and a gadget for cleaning the metal buttons, plus respirator and tin hat.” At first the jacket had no belt; this was added later and the skirt, initially a straight one made up two rectangles stitched at the sides, was replaced with a gored style.

Training completed, Margaret was posted to No. 4 Motor Transport Service Depot in Preston, where she remained for 12 months as a technical Motor Transport Clerk with the Royal Army Service Corp.

While there she was co-opted into the camp Entertainment Party. They called themselves the ‘Red Scar Rockets’ and performed a comedy sketch. There were plans to take the show round other camps but Margaret was promoted to Lance Corporal, got her first ‘tape’ and was posted to Derby Royal Army Ordnance Corp, (at that time the largest depot in the country). This was office work in ‘vetting’, dealing with spare parts for the motor vehicles and where necessary substituting compatible parts if not available in the same make.

It was while at Derby that Major Godsman, whom she had previously worked with, asked her to go and work for him again in Preston on the ‘Lend Lease’ scheme dealing with spare parts from America. The young women were billeted in wooden huts with very thin walls. Toilets and washing facilities were in another hut across the yard, and they had to dress before going to the other hut to wash.

There were various training courses in different locations, Leicester for one and a memorable one at Durham where they had to march from the railway station to Neville's Cross, “up a very steep hill carrying all our equipment.”

By 1944, Margaret had three years service, denoted by three chevrons on her sleeve cuff. She also had three stripes at the top of her sleeve having attained the rank of sergeant; the extra money on promotion was very welcome too. At this time she was involved in packing motor spare parts into boxes lined with wax paper. On the end of the box was an identifying reference, smaller boxes fitting into a larger one so that, on removing the lid, all the reference numbers were visible.

“I had to select the correct box, remove required item and then return box to larger box.” As Margaret said, ‘it was a very clever system.’ Completed boxes were loaded onto trains, the wagons had a ‘D’ chalked on the side. “We were not aware of it at the time, but they were involved in sending vital equipment to support the D-Day landings in Normandy.”

It was this work that qualified Margaret as an associate Normandy Veteran. During the war, Margaret’s father, a railwayman, had moved from Goole to Sheffield due to promotion to Engine Driver. On her demob in 1946, she came to live with her father, in Pitsmoor, and has lived in the same house ever since. She married local man Ron, who had served in the RAF in Africa, Italy and India, at Christ Church, Pitsmoor, in 1949. Then, for 20 years, she worked at Firth Brown Tools before taking redundancy and moving to National Carriers, Brightside, working on the switchboard and typing.

Commenting on the war years, Margaret said, “I wouldn't have missed my time in the ATS, although by the end of the war I was glad to return to civilian life. I enjoyed the discipline and playing a role in leading parades. I knew what it was to have to work hard, with long hours, and learn new skills.”