Jean Cleminson shares her experiences as a wireless operator part of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) during World War 2. She details her experience in the Y Service, an essential part of British intelligence operations, from working in Dunstable to Bletchley Park. Jean recounts her time training in wireless operations in 1941 at the Post Office in Cardiff. After studying in Compton Bassett, Bedfordshire and Staffordshire, she was assigned a post at an ostensible meteorological station in Dunstable. At Dunstable, Jean carried out clandestine Y section work and intercepted reports from Germany. She was informed to never speak about the work undertaken to anyone, including her family. She reflects on the late-night watch hours and quiet atmosphere in the station, as well as maintaining a best friendship for life. Years later, Jean revisited the Dunstable station. Whilst difficult to find, she slowly came to the realisation it had turned into a cracker factory! Jean’s account serves as a testimony to the dedication and resilience of those in secret and often underrepresented war roles. The story highlights Jean’s incredible contribution to the war and the significance women played in the war effort.

Doreen Galvin describes that as a young woman she was passionate about maps and photography, thus knew when the war broke out that she must apply for intelligence work - not admin. After being firstly involved in photo interpretation, Doreen was then moved to Bomber Command and finally sent to be an Operations Officer at Tempsford RAF base. Doreen recalls how on arriving at Tempsford she was immediately thrown into work and quickly taken to the map room. She remembers that upon looking at the wall of maps, she realised that she was standing face-to-face with all the locations of the clandestine operations by the RAF during the war. In this role she was responsible for receiving, processing and reporting these locations and objectives to the War Cabinet. In this interview Doreen fondly recalls her contribution to the war, reflecting upon the excitement of working with maps and photo interpretation during the war. Doreen gives an interesting account of the war effort from a different perspective than that of the front line soldier, by both originating from a female viewpoint and also the clandestine operations which were happening back in England.

Yvonne Baseden’s remarkable wartime experience began with her service in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). While working at the Directorate of Allied Air Cooperation and Foreign Liaison, she met Pearl Witherington, who—unknown to Yvonne—was an agent for the Special Operations Executive (SOE). It was this connection that Yvonne believes led to her being recruited by the SOE.  Due to the SOE’s covert nature, Yvonne was officially attached to the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), a common practice for female agents during World War II. Bilingual in English and French, she was considered a natural fit for operations in occupied France. Her first mission involved parachuting into France as a wireless operator to assist the French Resistance. However, after successfully completing Operation Cadillac—a major arms drop supporting liberation efforts—her location was compromised. Captured and transferred to Dijon prison, she was interrogated and faced threats of being sent to Gestapo headquarters in Paris. Despite this, Yvonne never revealed her true identity as an English agent, maintaining her cover as a French Resistance fighter.  Instead of being sent to Paris, Yvonne was transferred to Ravensbrück, the largest female-only concentration camp. She recalls the pressure of concealing her SOE status, aware that other female English agents in the camp had been executed. Fortunately, Yvonne was rescued by the Swedish Red Cross in the final days of the war and taken to Malmö, Sweden for recovery before safely returning home.