Jane Eldridge 2 - Yes, monster, that was the code name
Jane was one of the Cypher Wrens who travelled with Winston Churchill and his staff to the Quebec Conference in 1943. They travelled on the Queen Mary, a large ocean liner converted into a troop ship for war work.
Jane went to sea specifically to work for Churchill and his Chiefs of Staff. Some Cypher Wrens served for longer periods onboard troop ships to release men for other duties.
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Yes 'monster', that was the code name.
Code name for what?
For volunteering to go and work on troop ships. I had always thought it meant, you know, the Admiralty thought it was monstrous that women should go to sea, but I learned afterwards it was simply an indication that 'monster' was a troop ship, because the Queen Mary and most of the ships were very big and took thousands of troops on board.
One was awfully proud if you had green buttons
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Yes, monster, that was the code name
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The ballroom, that was our meeting place
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They gave you a ship?s biscuit
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You had to have special seawater soap
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You had to have a commission to cypher
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