An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 30 | by LIAM MURRAy Heather Kennedy & the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in WWII W hen WWII be- gan in 1939, just over five million women were at work in the UK. by 1943 that number had exceeded seven million, as women were called on to help in an age of total war. they were also in the midst of the action. one of them was Irishwomen heather Kennedy, whose experi- ences during the war changed her life in ways she never expected. Women were needed to fill traditionally male jobs and heather was trained to carry out inspections and rectifications on Allied aircraft used to carry out bombing missions in Europe. Aileen Heatherington Kennedy (always known as Heather Kennedy) was born and raised in Armagh, completing sec- ondary school at the age of 17 in a boarding school in Dun Laoghaire near Dublin. In October 1943 as the war was as raging, she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), the women's branch of the RAF. It was an opportunity for adventure and to acquire exciting new skills in aircraft maintenance. Having completed her initial training in military discipline, including the usual square bashing, Heather was posted to Edinburgh to begin a course on radio theory and mainte- nance. Seven months later she was posted to an RAF school in Lancashire for further training on aircraft radio main- tenance. On completion, she become a qualified aircraft radio mechanic and began her life as a working airwoman servicing large WWII aircraft. Her first posting was to the RAF base at Nutts Corner in Northern Ireland, where she worked on the Sterling bomber. Later she worked at a heavy conversion unit at RAF Riccall in Yorkshire, where aircrew who had operated twin-engine aircraft converted to the four-engine Avro York. These aircraft were extensively used by the Allies in Europe and the York, a military transport aircraft, featured prominently during the Berlin airlift. Heather also serviced aircraft radio at RAF Dishford in Yorkshire, which also had a flight crew conversion unit. Heather's final posting was back at RAF Alder- grove, where she had the experience of working on the radios of the newly introduced Vampire jet- powered fighter aircraft; the first aircraft mechanic in Ireland to work on this aircraft type. In 1947 Heather completed her military service and after three years study qualified as a physio- therapist in Dublin. She began her new career in a military hospital in the UK and later practised in hospitals in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Dublin. As a physiotherapist she remembers with satisfaction many extremely grateful patients, such as a medical sur- geon in Singapore with severe injuries to his hands who was able to return to surgical work after extensive physio- therapy. Working at RAF Headley Court near Epsom in the UK she also gained valuable experience treating injured members of the armed forces. However, Heather says that her time working in a south African hospital was the most rewarding experience, as she found the native African patients, often of humble cir- cumstances, to be the most humorous and good natured, irrespective of the seriousness of their illness. This was a significant change in working conditions for Heather, she remembers with gratitude the help given to her by the doc- tors while she adapted to her new circumstances. Now 92 years old, Heather reflects on her life of travel and learning at a time when her fellow servicewomen and fe- Heather Kennedy

• Cover