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A veteran interview with

Pam & Marj

Marjorie Lilley and Pamela Elliot sit together to reminisce about their service with the Auxiliary Territorial service.

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Home | Veterans | Pam & Marj

A veteran interview with

Pam & Marj

Pamela-and-Marjorie-Still

Marjorie Lilley and Pamela Elliot sit together to reminisce about their service with the Auxiliary Territorial service.

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https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pam-marj/

Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Marj, Pam. A Veteran Interview with Pam & Marj. Interview by Unknown. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pam-marj/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
APA Style:
Marj, P. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Pam & Marj [Interview by Unknown]. Legasee. Retrieved November 15, 2025, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pam-marj/
Chicago Style:
Marj, Pam. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Pam & Marj. Interview by Unknown. Legasee. Accessed November 15, 2025. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pam-marj/
Harvard Style:
Marj, P. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Pam & Marj. [Interviewed by Unknown]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pam-marj/ (Accessed: 15 November 2025)
Vancouver Style:
Marj, P. A Veteran Interview with Pam & Marj [Internet]. Interview by Unknown. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2025 Nov 15]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/pam-marj/
An interview with

Marjorie Inkster

Marjorie Inkster was a FANY radar technician who later led a team of REME technicians maintaining the radar on anti-aircraft guns in north London.

Marjorie Inkster was inspired to become a FANY and later work on anti-aircraft radar when her parent’s house was bombed early in the war. Because she was only 19 and had insufficient driving experience, she spent a year on petrol counting, which prompted her to volunteer for radar training. After 9 months’ training, she initially worked on radar research then found herself in charge of a REME detachment of men looking after the radar for 5 gun sites in north London. She provides many interesting and inspiring recollections: dealing with an incendiary that hit her lodgings; the extent of the technical training; the competition to service the radar on a dredger because they got navy chocolate; avoiding a bomb as they drove to fix a radar; sending secret components for repair by normal post. In London, she was incentivised to ensure the Identification Friend or Foe worked correctly because her brother was a night fighter pilot. Secrecy meant their work was never discussed, including the fact that her sister spent the war at Bletchley Park.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Ailsa Camm
An interview with

Jenny Wing

Jenny describes her time as a dog and rider groom in the WRAC.

Jenny always knew she wanted to work with animals and in her interview discusses the journey that led her to becoming a rider groom with the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. Growing up in Northern Rhodesia, she found the move difficult and initially struggled with army life. Once she had adapted to military life at Guildford, she remembers finding enjoyment in her specialised training and uniform. As a kennel maid, Jenny describes the different sections of dogs that were trained within the army and the limited dog-work available to women in the army. She recalls the lack of options for women and how much harder they had to work to progress into higher ranks, such as the horse stables. Once she had been promoted to the stables, she was placed in control of cavalry horses and breaking in wild horses for military use. She describes the difficulty of this job, along with its demanding hours and social restrictions. When asked to reflect on the WRAC Jenny states that she always felt part of a sisterhood, however, like many other female veterans resented the manner in which she was forced to leave on the condition of marriage and the restrictions placed on women in the army.
Photo Gallery icon 11 Photos
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker
An interview with

Gordon Turner

Gordon describes his distinguished musical career throughout his many years in the army.

Gordon began learning to play the cornet at aged 10, while many of his friends were out playing football. After leaving school, he successfully applied to the Royal Engineers at Chatham at aged 14 and was subsequently accepted as a pupil at Kneller Hall despite being only 14 years old. After 18 months, he succeeded in his exams and returned to Chatham. While there, he was supported to continue his education and studied Music at Trinity College. In 1956, he was accepted back at Kneller Hall, although considered too young for a studentship, but put in for the 6-month exams where he came top of his group. He subsequently took on a bandmaster roll at aged 25, becoming the youngest in the army to achieve this. Gordon goes on to describe his time as bandmaster and the rich variety of opportunities that came his way, including serving in Germany. Ultimately, Gordon became Professor of Band Arranging, Harmony and History Music at Kneller Hall. In the last months of his career he met Princess Anne, who was then Colonel in Chief of his regiment. She was instrumental in organising a celebration of his work in London before he retired.
Service:
Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker