Marilyn Jenner
Daughter of a soldier serving in the Royal Army Pay Corps
Marilyn’s father was serving in the ‘Royal Army pay Corps’, stationed at Wolverley camp when she was a young girl. The family lived in one of the few married quarters on the camp, near to the guard-room. Marilyn remembers the quarters being pretty basic, “we were separated from our neighbours by a single piece of plasterboard”. “Not only could we hear them breathing but the light shone through numerous gaps in the plasterboard”. “Our only form of heat was a small brick fireplace in the lounge and the black range in the kitchen which was used for cooking on”.
Marilyn’s father was posted abroad to Singapore, and of course took his family with him. On their return Marilyn’s father was posted back to Wolverley, this time their quarters were next to the wire separating the military from the squatters.
Marilyn pictured at Wolverley camp with her brother Clive.
“We used to crawl under the fence and through the squatters camp, before calling in at ‘The Lock’, to buy our crisps for school”. “I remember Mr Jarvis was the headmaster of Wolverley School at one time, we often had to go to his office for reading tests”. Marilyn also remembers her visits to the butchers shop in the village. “I would go straight out through the back door, to see the various pets that the butcher kept, and the pond with tadpoles”.
“A siren was kept just inside the admin block, this was used as a signal for soldiers working in the offices to go for their breaks”. “My brother would sneak in and turn the handle, and wait for the usual exodus, the CO was never amused”. “He was less amused on the occasions Clive was caught peddling his tricycle around the desks in the offices”. “My father asked the CO for permission to erect a low fence around our small garden to keep Clive in”. “That did not deter him for long, each time the height of the fence was raised, Clive would climb over it”. “Eventually the fence reached the height of the covered walk way, guess what he still got over”!
