Report to the Bedding Store!

After joining the WRNS in 1950, I did my basic training at HMS Dauntless, Burghfield, then moved on to HMS Pembroke at Chatham to do my further training as a Cinema Operator.  My first draft, being very, very green, was to HMS Heron at Yeovilton.

There were two of us Cine Ops, Rusty Cameron and myself.  Rusty ran the instructional cinema and I worked in the main cinema, which was situated off the Parade Ground.  All the main entertainment came from there, films, dances which were held twice a week, and the internal station radio.

My job included servicing the big 35 mm machines, and checking the films for the 4 film shows each week.  This was done, working alone with an electrical rating, in the projection room!

We had a roster for evening work, which needed two of us on duty for each film show.  The main cinema has a Tannoy fitted.  An advantage of the onboard film shows was that anyone on late duty could still go and see a film, and be called out!

We had really quite good films sent to us twice a week.  One week we were sent “The Outlaw”, starring Jane Russell, A GREAT FAVOURITE! and famous for a rather steamy scene!

I was duty operator that night, and the cinema was packed for the first showing.  It was a black and white western film.  Jane had the starring role and the hero was a handsome and “wanted man”, who had been injured.  He was hiding from the Sheriff in a barn and was ill with a shivering fever!  Jane approached him, where he lay in the straw, intending to comfort and warm him

…. … and the tannoy announced “Duty Bedding Store Wren report to the Bedding Store”.

Up in the Projection Room we hear this roar! And we thought something had gone wrong with the film.  As my machine was not running, I went down to the cinema to see what had happened.  I was met by a great uproar of laughter from the audience as the announcement, which we could not hear in the projection room, had come at exactly the right moment!

I don’t think that the duty Bedding Store Wren ever lived that down!

Valerie Clarke (nee Jack) WRNS 1950s