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This story was submitted by Helen Hughes of the People's War team in Wales on behalf of Stanley Hayward and is added to the site with his permission.

When I went in the army I expected either to go in the REME because I had four years as a mechanic 鈥� which they didn鈥檛 do they put me in the Ordnance Corps 鈥� and being as how I was on the anti-aircraft gun stationed underneath the barrel 鈥� I used to traverse the whole thing round - I was a number two鈥nd I thought, I鈥檒l go in the Royal Artillery鈥ecause I was already trained But they didn鈥檛 select me for that 鈥� they selected me for troop ships鈥 went on the infantry training, I came out. They knew I could drive because I was a mechanic and we were on amphibious craft, tank transporters, lorries, anything down to a jeep. All the vehicles that were in use we supplied, so we had to learn how to drive them. I was taking them down to the docks鈥own to Purfleet or anywhere 鈥� I even came to Cardiff docks 鈥�.we used to go up to Treforest to pick up Ford motors up there and we鈥檇 take them back to Aldershot which was Rushmore really where they used to have the Tattoo pre-war鈥�.and there was thousands and thousands of vehicles there all lined up herringbone fashion we鈥檇 call it. And the girls, the ATS girls they鈥檙e not hardly mentioned at all. They were wonderful鈥hese girls absolutely they were marvellous. They did the same thing as us they drove the vehicles the same as us, they prepared them, put antifreeze in them, topped up the water, changed the batteries around on them鈥hey did everything and there鈥檚 hardly a word mentioned about them, and there was hundreds of them stationed with us in Aldershot鈥oing convoy work, despatch riders as well. Give them their credit like, there鈥檚 not been enough said about them. It was the men and the women who did their best like鈥nd they were very good. I know one incident when they had a despatch rider鈥e was a cockney bloke from London and he said 鈥淚鈥檓 not going out today because of the ice on the road鈥�.鈥� So the girl, she was an ex-model and she was a corporal and she was in charge of depot transport and she said 鈥淎lright then if you鈥檙e too afraid to go out I鈥檒l do it鈥�, she said. And she jumped on the motorbike and off she went. And there was all ice on the road鈥�.he wouldn鈥檛 do it 鈥渢oo dangerous鈥� he said.

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