Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A Fine Second War ‘W.A.A.F.’s’ Military Division B.E.M. group of three awarded to Sergeant H. M. Terry, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, who as a Telephonist, had her gallantry recognised, for remaining at her switchboard during an intense enemy attack on R.A.F. Warmwell, 11 May 1941. She continued to connect urgent calls despite her post being bombed, and having to operate in pitch-black conditions, often only with the aid of a match stick

British Empire Medal, (Military) G.VI.R., 1st issue (423352 Cpl. Hilda M. Terry. W.A.A.F.) on bow ribbon; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, nearly extremely fine (3) £800-1200

B.E.M. London Gazette 1 January 1942:

‘This airwoman was a duty telephone operator during concentrated low flying attacks on Warmwell on the night of May, 11th 1941. These attacks lasted for several hours during which time she showed calmness, courage and efficiency in carrying out her duties and she displayed a sense of humour which inspired the remaining personnel. She was undeterred by the fact that the buildings in her immediate vicinity received several direct hits from enemy bombs.’

Hilda Majorie Terry was born in Ware, Hertfordshire, in February 1917. The youngest of ten children, she enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in October 1940, and trained as a Telephonist. She had advanced to Corporal by 1941, and was serving at R.A.F. Warmwell (Fighter Station) when it was attacked by the Luftwaffe on the night of 11 May. Her actions on that night were recognised by the award of the B.E.M., and used (with a little artistic licence relating to time and place) by the BBC for propaganda purposes when she featured on “Women at War.” Jenny Nicholson’s Kiss the Girls Goodbye, gives the following:

‘The Battle of Britain never lost its fairy tale appeal. And many women were decorated for their exploits during attacks on aerodromes at that time. For Women at War, I reconstructed an actual incident, and Corporal Terry herself played in the broadcast:

Narrator: On a day in the early English summer of 1940 [sic] - during that period in history that has come to be known as “The Battle of Britain” - on a R.A.F. Station, Stormwell [sic], of Fighter Command, the R.A.F. and W.A.A.F. were going about their various duties cheerfully and industriously. The Spitfires are “at readiness” on the flying field - some aircraft are in the hangars being serviced by the R.A.F. ground staff. The duty squadron are at dispersal - sitting in their hut on the edge of the flying field, smoking, reading, talking - waiting for the word from the Controller that will send them hareing to their kites. The cooks are preparing the mid-day meal. The clerks rattle the typewriters and go to and fro in Station Headquarters with forms and files... On the edge of the camp the men on the Ack-Ack batteries are waiting, too... And in the telephone exchange A.C.W. Terry is taking routing calls.....
(Telephone Exchange sounds).

Terry: Hullo? Yes? _ The W.A.A.F. Orderly Room? Yes, sir (plug in). Hullo - R.A.F. Stormwell. Engaged just now, I’m sorry, will you hold on? O.K., I’ll have him call him back at Group, sir... Oh, hullo, Mary. How’s your head?

Mary: Hullo. M.O. gave me something - it feels better now. Sorry to leave you on duty all by yourself...

Terry: It’s not very busy just now - what’s it like outside?

Mary: It’s a lovely day - you’d never think people could fight wars in this weather...
(Civilian siren, faint.)

Terry: Do you hear what I hear?

Mary: Yes - sirens. The ones in the town.

Terry: Expect somebody’s sat on the button again... Hello, R.A.F. Stormwell....
(Civilian siren louder.)
(Fade in sounds of Flight Mechanics at work. Spanners against metal, etc.)

Mac: ‘Ark at ole wailing Willie!

a.c..: Reckon somebody’s sat on the button - chuck us over that spanner, George.
(Fade to Telephone Exchange.)

Terry: Yes, sir?

Duty Officer: Given me the Control Room.

Terry: Yes, sir.

Controller: Controller here.

Duty Officer: (muffled). Fitzdown’s just been through. Bandits approaching at 12,000 feet. Give the guns alert, will you?

Terry: Sounds as if it’s going to be us again.

Mary: Why?

Terry: Duty Officer’s just given Control Room “guns alert”.... Here he is now. (Into telephone) Yes, sir?

Duty Officer: Air raid warning red - distribute it, please.

Terry: Yes, sir. (To Mary) Air Raid message red - you take the Billets, the Messes and Station Headquarters. I’ll do the C.O. and the rest...

Mary: O.K. (Following dialogue under Terry’s dialogue). Hullo, Officers’ Mess. Air Raid warning red. O.K. Air raid warning red, sir (Adjutant). N.C.O.’s Mess - Air raid warning red. O.K. Hullo ma’am, Air raid warning red. Thank you. Orderly Room, Air raid warning red. Pass it on to the W.A.A.F. Orderly Room, will you? Thank you. Hullo, Haven House. Air raid warning red. O.K. Thank you.

Terry: Sorry to interrupt you, sir, there’s an air raid warning red on. Thank you, sir... Hullo, yes?

Controller: Duty Pilot, please.

Terry: Yes, sir (plugs in).

Duty Pilot: (answers) Duty Pilot, here.

Controller: Squadron scramble base.

Duty Pilot: Right, sir.

Terry: Guard Room - air raid warning red. Thank you. M.T. - air raid warning red. O.K. Sick Quarters - air raid warning red. Workshops - air raid warning red. Thank you.
(Roar of approaching aircraft.)
(Flight Mechanics’ sounds again.)

l.a.c.: Here they come. Next stop Stormwell. pass down the car, please.

Corporal: Take cover, there. Come on - double up!

Narrator: When danger is imminent - but not until then - the R.A.F. and W.A.A.F. on the station whose jobs do not make it vital for them to remain in danger at their posts, take cover. But always there are the ones who must stay above ground and get on with their jobs... and one of these is Terry, who must keep open the all-important lines of communication. As the Ack-Ack guns strain towards the sky and the raiders come on, roaring towards the target area, she sits in the Telephone Exchange - a frail building in the middle of the camp - the duty telephone operator....

Terry: R.A.F. Stormwell - sorry, only priority calls just now....
(Nearer roar of aircraft.)

Mary: Squadrons up -

Terry: Good.

Narrator: The enemy roars over the camp again and again - squadron after squadron of the Luftwaffe - attempting to put this Fighter Station out of action.
(Bomb.)
But our Fighters are up and the battle is on.
(Air battle. Machine-gun fire, etc.)
The machine-gun fire catches the roof of the telephone exchange.
(Stick of bombs.)
A stick of bombs fall - hitting the Sergeants’ Mess - the Equipment Store and the Station Kitchen Garden - straddling the telephone exchange.

Mary: The lights have gone, Terry!

Terry: So I don’t see. Strike a light, quick - here’s a box of matches - quick, there’s a call coming through... Yes, sir?

Duty Officer: You all right up there?

Terry: O.K., sir, fine, sir. Thank you.

Mary: There’s an awful lot of dirt blowing about.

Terry: There’s quite a lot of ceiling in my hair.
(Deafening roar.)

Mary: I wish I could fly -

Terry: Shouldn’t worry - we’ll probably be airborne any minute now.
(Bomb.)

Mary: Gosh, that was near - I thought that was us.

Terry: What did I tell you... Quick, strike another match, will you? (plugs in). Hullo, yes?

Controller: You all right?

Terry: Receiving the bombs loud and clear, thank you, sir.

Controller: Good show.

Terry: (plugs in). Hullo - Guard Room - you all right? Sick Quarters want you...

Narrator: For a full half-hour the battle raged in the skies above the station. Our aircraft landed - re-fuelled and took off again under enemy bombardment. But they drove the bandits off - far fewer than they came. And another hit-and-run raid was over.

Terry: Yes, sir?

Duty Officer: Raiders passed - distribute it, please...

Terry: Yes, sir.

Narrator: And once more the Station returned to normal, battered certainly, but not cowed. A.C.W. - now Corporal - Terry survived many more of these raids, both night and day. And one day there appeared in the London Gazette this statement: ‘The King has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the British Empire Medal (Military Division) to the undermentioned.....’ And Corporal Terry’s name was there.....’

Terry was promoted Sergeant in May 1944, and served at Fighter Command HQ, Bentlery Priory, 1944-45. She became somewhat of a poster-girl for the W.A.A.F., and was used in official photographs as well as appearing in newspaper articles, one of which was titled Heroines of Today. Terry was discharged 11 October 1945.

Sold with the following related documents: Royal Air Force Service and Release Book; with copies of Kiss the Girls Goodbye, by Jenny Nicholson and With The W.A.A.F. by Susan Garth, in both of which the recipient features; a Running Order, and autographed script of when the recipient featured in Clemence Dane’s BBC radio show “Women at War”, broadcast 27 April 1942; several photographic images of recipient in uniform and newspaper cuttings.