Wren Kathleen Oates was stationed on the Isle of Man from 1944 onwards, writing dozens of letters home about life and operations at Ronaldsway. Eighty years later, her daughter, Christine Smith, explores these letters in a series of columns based on Kathleen’s wartime experiences...

Eighty years ago, Leading Wren Kathleen Oates was in a pensive, even emotional, mood – but she did manage to enjoy the island’s Thanksgiving Week.

This was celebrated on the Isle of Man between October 27 and November 3. The timing differed from its equivalent on the mainland, which began on September 15, 1945 – echoing the date of the height of 1943’s Battle of Britain. Both, however, were designed to celebrate victory and to remember those who had died – and both also promoted a Savings campaign, whose aim was to encourage the purchase of savings stamps to help pay for the war effort and post-war reconstruction. As the Isle of Man’s War Bonds Sub-Committee put it in their communication, IT IS PATRIOTIC TO SAVE.

Kathleen reported, ‘there was a parade in Douglas on Saturday afternoon (October 27) and a formation flyover by 24 Barracudas. I watched the kites forming up over the ‘drone and they looked pretty good.’. Later in the week, she observed more activities. ‘We’ve had an open day on the airfield in connection with the Thanksgiving Week. Barracudas did “Corner pancakes” – flying in formation etc, and Wildcats did aerobatics. We had several different types of aircraft in from other stations - and a running commentary from the Control Tower. I was supposed to be on duty this afternoon – but I was on top of the Control Tower like everyone else, watching events. It seemed like a School Sports Day – it was quite exciting!’

As ever, Kathleen’s letters reflected the availability of goods and making do. She was sending a red dress home for her mother to repair, as on discovering a rip before going out, she had sewn it up with a thread which didn’t quite match – but was triumphant when she thought of smearing red lipstick over the makeshift mend, to better match the colour. She also asked her sister to scour Leicester’s jewellery stores for her: ‘Dorothy, I’ve tried to get a safety chain for my Wren brooch and they haven’t any on the Island. I wondered if you’d enquire at any of the small jewellers and see if they still possess them. Apparently they haven’t been made during the War.’

Like many of her letters, she wrote in a break on duty. ‘I’m Duty Leading Wren tonight and I have to sit here from 7 pm until about 11:30, answering the phone and dealing with anything which may turn up. The Duty Wren has to do all the dirty work – go round with the papers and make stand easy etc. I’m glad I haven’t to go out again this evening - although regulating office isn’t exactly luxurious, at least it’s dry and warm on this dark and stormy rainy night.’

The weather had been sufficiently challenging as to affect work and even demobbing. ‘Flying has been cancelled every day owing to atrocious weather. Today, even the Isle of Man boat refused to sail, much to everyone’s surprise, and a whole squadron that was leaving - the last 747 course - had to come back and return to camp.’

In fact, a sense of melancholy – a feeling of a time coming to an end – increasingly pervaded Kathleen’s letters. She continued: ‘We still have 713 and 710 [squadrons], but they will have gone by the end of November, when the station is supposed to be closing down.’.

So while there had been an exciting aerial display in the day on Saturday 27th, that night, Kathleen ‘went to a Petty Officer’s (Air Gunners) breaking up party at Derby Haven Hotel.

‘We were allowed to go in civvies as it was out of Castletown. Two of the boys go on draft tomorrow – some of the others will be demobbed during the week. It’s not nice saying “good-bye” to people whom you’ve known, worked and played with for over a year.’

Social life increasingly involved goodbyes. Kathleen’s November 2 letter told of ‘two more of the gang have been demobbed. Tonight, we will go to a farewell party in one of the Cabins for a Wren being demobbed on Saturday. I feel so sad that all this is going to be over soon – several of us sat in the cabin last night having a general “drip” and moaning over what we’re going to miss. My one regret is that I didn’t join the WRNS a couple of years earlier.’

The theme returned when, on another evening, she ‘went out to supper with Eddie, then to the local cinema. He is one of the Air Gunners – a Petty Officer who has managed to postpone his release till the station closes. I think they’re all afraid of facing the future.’

Her father, Chris Oates, had certainly picked up on her mood, in his reply to her, writing after her birthday that ‘the next event will be Christmas – I wonder where you will be at that time and doing what – eating a Services Christmas dinner or partaking at home. You certainly are not eagerly looking forward to the break – but it has to come and even if you had the opportunity to defer for a further period, your release would still have to happen and believe me Kathleen, civilian conditions wouldn’t be the slightest bit better. Controls and restrictions are to go on for five years - the country will be in a state of unrest and dissatisfaction – when I read the papers this morning – an analysis of wartime conditions and sacrifices, they are both terrible and wonderful – It makes me marvel that the people in this country are still in a sane condition.’

Victory and the end of the war clearly did not mean that everything was going to be easy. Ronaldsway life continued, for the moment, to be a temporary safe haven for Kathleen and those colleagues who remained with her.