In the summer of 1944 Kathleen Oates - a Wren assigned to the Women's Royal Naval Service during the Second World War - was transferred to the Isle of Man. During her time on the island, she wrote dozens of letters to home which provide a unique commentary on the operations at Ronaldsway and what life was like on the Isle of Man 80 years ago. Her daughter, CHRISTINE SMITH, pores through her mother’s letters as part of a series of columns based on Kathleen Oates’s writing...

Eighty years ago this week, Kathleen’s letters home once more reflected the mix of light-hearted, energetic fun among the young personnel on the Ronaldsway base, and the ever-present potential for tragedy which lurked in the work they did there. They were also full of the minutiae of daily life in World War 2.

She was pleased to report that Jane from her cabin only had a mild attack of the measles, and had emerged from sick bay, meaning no more daily trips to sick bay to be checked, as no-one had developed any symptoms.

The exchange of goods between Leicester and the Isle of Man continued. It would seem that fountain pens were not readily available at home, because soon after arriving on the Isle of Man, Kathleen had despatched one for her father the previous September. But apparently the family was still in need, so when shopping in Douglas on Saturday 27th, ‘whilst we were in Boots I casually asked if they had any fountain pens and to my great surprise, they produced a couple, so I bought one like Daddy’s and I’ll send it on. I believe Granny was next on the list, wasn’t she?’.

However, that same morning, the Ronaldsway base suffered another tragedy; Kathleen’s description was terse. ‘We had another unfortunate occurrence – one of the aircraft didn’t come back. It’s presumed that it peeled off into a dive and dived too steeply and toppled over – no survivors.’

A second letter that week, started on January 31, reflected that life carried on, as it always did, after a flying accident. ‘Yesterday afternoon, I was off duty and went to the British Legion canteen with Jane. I felt restless and wanted to go walking or cycling, to explore somewhere new, only it was too windy. We eventually went to the canteen and settled in front of the fire with a book. In the evening, I was determined that we weren’t staying in the cabin, so I dragged Jane across to the YMCA dance. We can dance very well together and had some fun trying to jive.’

Kathleen didn’t mention work, so it is to be presumed that the same relaxed pace since she had returned from Christmas leave, continued for the moment. Her former superior, Leading Wren Olivia Thompson, had left Ronaldsway after requesting a draft, as she felt there was little for her to do at Ronaldsway. She wrote to Kathleen, complaining that her new base wasn’t very ‘matey’ and apologising for leaving her and her colleague, her letter peppered with jargon, very much of its time and specific to Ronaldsway. ‘I really felt mean, leaving you and Blossom in your plight and imagined you running from Ops to Flying Control and calling in the CRR, writing down the gen [= the information] and then starting off again. I hope it didn’t have to come to that!”. Decades later, Kathleen had mentioned that her identifying call was ‘CRR Ops’ when on the radio to pilots; after they had spoken and she had taken their position, she would write it, and also the time of the call, up on a board - presumably next to the flight number.

Kathleen’s work definitely was an improvement on that of a friend who wrote to her that week of her work in a war factory, between Leeds and York, filling shells. Their uniform was a pure woollen trouser suit of white, with white turbans covering every bit of their hair. Although she was very well-paid, the conditions were difficult, travelling for two hours each way from home to get to her job. To do a morning shift, which lasted from 6:45 am to 3:15pm, she had to get up at 3:45, walk to the tram depot to catch the 5 o’clock tram and then transfer to a 5:25am train. Night shifts were the longest - she got a 8:30pm train to get to work and didn’t return home till 9:30am the following morning. But this allowed her to save up for a suit. ‘I’ve already landed some shoes – no mean achievement these days’.

Small wonder then, that Kathleen was happy to stay where she was, writing to father Pops, ‘So, you envy me being in the Isle of Man and by the sea – I’m certainly happy myself. Sometimes I feel I’d like a draft – I like changes – but here I’m staying for the time being. We can see the sea from our hut; it’s only about 30 yards away – just across the road’.

In their letters that week, the family were exchanging comments on the progress of the fighting. Pops had uncomplainingly glossed over a Leicester power cut, preferring to focus on the news that the ‘war moves on rapidly’, with Russian progress on the Western Front, to which Kathleen replied, ‘Russia’s advance is certainly wonderful! How long do you give Germany now, Pop? Then the next consideration will be the Far East or demobilisation!’ Father Chris, had fought in the First World War, rising to the rank of Captain and being decorated with the Military Cross: Kathleen clearly sought his opinion on the war’s progress.

Kathleen also heard from an old Leicester school friend who had been posted to Southampton. Doubtless further feeding Kathleen’s scepticism over wartime romances, she announced that she was engaged, despite both parties being 20 years old – the main reason being that ‘he is expecting to go away - like most people just now’.

In her final letter that week, for a change, Kathleen had an amusing anecdote concerning flying. ‘One Wren had quite an adventure yesterday [January 31]. She went up on an air test – the plane was only supposed to fly around the aerodrome, but there was a mist, and it got lost – and eventually landed in Yorkshire! He was picked up and reported to us whilst flying across England and he obviously had difficulty finding somewhere to land in such bad weather!’

There are no letters from Kathleen to her family until February 13: she did not go on leave, so her communication from Ronaldsway for the next ten days between February 2 and 12, must have been lost. The next article in this series will appear in the Manx Independent of February 13.