The Rogerstone Directory - History Articles

The Lady Gunners of World War 2

It was in 1942 that a detachment of girls of the A.T.S. (Auxiliary Territorial Service) unit arrived at Pen y Lan camp near Bassaleg as an advanced party of a women’s unit who were destined to serve at the Great Oak camp in Rogerstone. This camp had been built early in the War to house an anti-aircraft battery of the 612 Regiment R.A. There were four or five guns of 3.7 inch diameter and it was one of seven or eight gun sites around Newport which were to defend the area containing many factories, docks and railways yards which were on essential war work.

~Sylvia in approximately 1942

During the two months that the girls were awaiting transfer they regularly walked to Bassaleg to attend dances at the local British Legion Hall. This was a round trip of about three miles but they must have found the effort worthwhile to socialise with other members of the forces and local civilians who attended.

Transfer soon came and the girls found themselves attached to the R.A. at Great Oak camp which was where Ruskin Avenue is now situated.

One of the girls, called Sylvia, who was stationed in the command post, became friendly with a local lad, Don, who had been involved in the construction of the camp. What we used to call "courting" proceeded but he was called up and found himself in the Royal Navy at Skegness, not far from Sylvia’s home in Lincoln. Eventually, they were married and settled in Spalding, Lincoln, back in "civy street". Severe depression was the cause of Don’s early release from the Navy and things did not improve so they decided to come home to Wales. This must have been something of a success as although she has recently become a widow, she is still in her adoptive village of Rogerstone.

As far as can be ascertained, there were another four or five young ladies who came to Great Oak to "man" the guns and decided to remain in Rogerstone in a more domestic role, having been captivated by the local lads. Now sixty years on only Sylvia remains of the group and she like most older residents love to talk over old times and reminisce about the occasions when they fired the guns with enough force to shake the fillings out of the local residents teeth.

She recalls the times when they used to hitch lifts from the bottom of Bethesda Hill to go to Newport to the pictures and so on.

Of course many of the unit returned to their roots all over the country but I am sure most of them will remember their stay in what was then a little welsh village. Sylvia herself, in order to be looked after, has recently been admitted into a residential home in Rogerstone called Little Oak which is only a very short distance from her posting in 1942 in Great Oak. What a coincidence...... Let’s hope this is a good omen for her continued happiness and long life in Rogerstone.

Vernon Morgan

A Member of Rogerstone Local History Society

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