In My Life in The Forces

Lilian bader (née bailey) was born of a west indian father and an english mother but was orphaned at the age of nine. Separated from her two elder brothers, she was brought up in a convent. Most of the girls were trained for domestic service. The convent was concerned that lilian would have difficulty in finding employment because of her colour, so she stayed on longer than usual and did not leave until she was twenty. When war broke out the family moved to wales, and lilian was out of a job. She applied for a position with the naafi (navy, army and air force

“The NAAFI wanted girls. Here was my chance to get away from domestic service. I applied, filled in a form and went for an interview to Catterick Camp.

“On seeing me, the interviewer said ‘You did not say you were er, er,….’ I looked her in the eye and retorted ‘My form shows that my father was from Jamaica. It is our oldest Crown Colony’. A little taken aback the woman backed down and as educationally there were no handicaps, duly took me on.”

Lilian had worked at Catterick Camp for seven week when: “I was called into the office by the District Manager. Very apologetic, he explained tome that Head Office had ordered him to dismiss me; my father had not been born in the UK. Apparently, he had received this order several weeks before, but had argued the toss about it: I think he was Irish, possibly Roman Catholic like myself, and felt some sympathy…. It was the end of November 1939 and I returned to Thirsk and stayed with friends.”

“Some West Indians had answered the call to the Mother Country and were being interviewed. The Army had turned them down flat, but the RAF had accepted them. I couldn’t believe my ears.”

After that, Lilian helped on a farm and at the beginning of 1940 returned to her old employer. Lilian became frustrated by her lack of a proper job to help the war effort with Britain in such dire straits in 1940, but attempts to rejoin the NAAFI were unsuccessful.

“My dilemma was always the same; like an ex-con, I debated whether to say I was coloured and receive no answer, or keep mum and just turn up.”

I used to listen to the radio and one day I had a very pleasant surprise. Some West Indians had answered the call to the Mother Country and were being interviewed. The Army had turned them down flat, but the RAF had accepted them. I couldn’t believe my ears. There had been some debate in the papers about height requirements and once I had checked – I am 5ft 1in – I determined to try again.

“So, I arrived at the station dressed in a neat costume, gas mask slung over my shoulder. With other prospective recruits I was checked by a hefty WAAF [Women’s Auxiliary Air Force] sergeant.

“We were a motley crew: women of all shapes and sizes, and judging from our dress, makeup and general demeanour, from all walks of life. The patient sergeant succeeded in forming us into some semblance of order before giving us the order to march. Self-conscious in our new role we picked up our bags and proudly marched out of step, out of the station, and on through the streets of Harrogate.”

Lilian was given the chance to train to become an Instrument Repairer II. After passing the course ‘First Class’, she was sent to an airfield in Shropshire and worked on light bombers, Air Speed Oxfords. Lilian became a Leading Aircraftwoman and later gained the rank of Acting Corporal.“In our section there were then about eight of us women and after their initial surprise and curiosity the men grew accustomed to us and we all settled down to the daily grind. I loved my work.” She met her husband Ramsay Bader through her ex-landlady in Yorkshire, and they married in 1943. “It was a relief to meet a coloured boyfriend for a change. I had met no other coloured WAAFs, and only seen an Indian RAF officer and one coloured airman who appeared fleetingly at Condover.”

Lilian carried on her work as an Instrument Repairer, having to turn down the opportunity for further promotion when she became pregnant in 1944. She was discharged on compassionate grounds in February 1944. *

A full account of life in the WAAF by Lilian Bader, written in 1988, and an interview recorded by the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive can be found in the ‘Together’ education pack, available from the Imperial War Museum Shop.

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