Elizabeth Tilston
British Auxiliary Transport Service
Womens Division
London 1942 – 1947
British Auxiliary Transport Service
Womens Division
London 1942 – 1947
Elizabeth Tilston was born in 1925 outside of Liverpool in England. Elizabeth said she came from a very good family and she “never got smacked”, but if she misbehaved, she was told what she had done and not to do it again. When the war started she was living in Maghull, which is outside of Southport in the north of England. All of Elizabeth’s friends had joined the Army and she wanted to join. She remembers being quite adventurous and going down to the recruiting station to enlist and being told she could not join until she was 17. At the time she was three months shy of her 17th birthday. The recruiters told her they would take down all of her information and that she should come back when she turned 17.
She went home to tell her parents what she had done, and they were quite displeased and told her she was not going. Elizabeth pleaded that they give her a chance and her parents said ok, but, they would come and visit her for lunch after a month. If she wasn’t coping well “then you’re out!” While at training Elizabeth made a friend and together, they were “having fun”. Elizabeth invited her friend to lunch and her parents concluded that their daughter was doing fine, and they told her, “you win”.
Elizabeth wanted to be a driver and she already knew how to drive. At that time most people did not have cars but her father had a car and had taught her to drive. She recalled being quite a good driver and she was given a position as an ambulance driver. She would drive to the port in Liverpool and pick up soldiers who had been wounded and shipped home. She would drive them to the hospital and try to make them laugh. She was just happy to be helping. In her Army training class she met Princess Elizabeth. “She was in the Army too. She was very nice.”
When asked if she was ever scared when London came under heavy bombing by the Nazi’s, she replied, “I stayed focused on what I had to do and was never afraid.” Elizabeth also said she never worried that the Allies wouldn’t win the war. She thought, “we would just do what we needed to do. We were smarter than the enemy.” She remembered Churchill speaking to the country over the radio and “he was very reassuring”. “I was glad I was English and I had the belief the English could do anything”.
Elizabeth remembered on one occasion transporting German POWs in the ambulance. She had to make a stop and locked them in the ambulance but when she returned, she found that they had escaped. She began looking for then and in just a short while she found them in a local shop. “I yelled at them and told them to get back in the ambulance and they did”.
One day her boss told her she was going to be driving General Charles De Gaulle. She was given an Army Jaguar and drove him around to his appointments for a week.
Elizabeth recalls when the war ended her friends wanted to go to the pub to celebrate. She was not much of a drinker and didn’t want to go but her friends insisted. In the pub an RAF pilot came over to her and started chatting. He invited her to sit at his table but she refused. She and her friends left for a dance and when they arrived Elizabeth found the man there and he asked her to dance. Not feeling comfortable she said no but he grabbed her hand and told her, “we are going to dance”. Edwin was his name. They danced every dance for the rest of the night. After that evening Edwin would meet her after work each night. After two weeks he took her hand and slid a ring on her finger and said, “now we are engaged”. Elizabeth recalls that he still had not held her hand, put his arm around her or kissed her. She brought him to meet her parents and they loved him. Edwin was discharged from the RAF and they were married six months after he gave her the engagement ring.
On several occasions Elizabeth said she had a wonderful life. She talked about traveling with Edwin around the world on business. Eventually they bought a house in England and planned to settle down there with their two children, but Edwin founded a steamship company and they moved to New York City and New Orleans. When it came time to retire, they moved to Brevard, NC which they had visited many times. Unfortunately, Edwin passed away shortly thereafter.
When asked what she remembers most about her service in World War II, she replied,
“I did what I was supposed to do and I loved it!”
She went home to tell her parents what she had done, and they were quite displeased and told her she was not going. Elizabeth pleaded that they give her a chance and her parents said ok, but, they would come and visit her for lunch after a month. If she wasn’t coping well “then you’re out!” While at training Elizabeth made a friend and together, they were “having fun”. Elizabeth invited her friend to lunch and her parents concluded that their daughter was doing fine, and they told her, “you win”.
Elizabeth wanted to be a driver and she already knew how to drive. At that time most people did not have cars but her father had a car and had taught her to drive. She recalled being quite a good driver and she was given a position as an ambulance driver. She would drive to the port in Liverpool and pick up soldiers who had been wounded and shipped home. She would drive them to the hospital and try to make them laugh. She was just happy to be helping. In her Army training class she met Princess Elizabeth. “She was in the Army too. She was very nice.”
When asked if she was ever scared when London came under heavy bombing by the Nazi’s, she replied, “I stayed focused on what I had to do and was never afraid.” Elizabeth also said she never worried that the Allies wouldn’t win the war. She thought, “we would just do what we needed to do. We were smarter than the enemy.” She remembered Churchill speaking to the country over the radio and “he was very reassuring”. “I was glad I was English and I had the belief the English could do anything”.
Elizabeth remembered on one occasion transporting German POWs in the ambulance. She had to make a stop and locked them in the ambulance but when she returned, she found that they had escaped. She began looking for then and in just a short while she found them in a local shop. “I yelled at them and told them to get back in the ambulance and they did”.
One day her boss told her she was going to be driving General Charles De Gaulle. She was given an Army Jaguar and drove him around to his appointments for a week.
Elizabeth recalls when the war ended her friends wanted to go to the pub to celebrate. She was not much of a drinker and didn’t want to go but her friends insisted. In the pub an RAF pilot came over to her and started chatting. He invited her to sit at his table but she refused. She and her friends left for a dance and when they arrived Elizabeth found the man there and he asked her to dance. Not feeling comfortable she said no but he grabbed her hand and told her, “we are going to dance”. Edwin was his name. They danced every dance for the rest of the night. After that evening Edwin would meet her after work each night. After two weeks he took her hand and slid a ring on her finger and said, “now we are engaged”. Elizabeth recalls that he still had not held her hand, put his arm around her or kissed her. She brought him to meet her parents and they loved him. Edwin was discharged from the RAF and they were married six months after he gave her the engagement ring.
On several occasions Elizabeth said she had a wonderful life. She talked about traveling with Edwin around the world on business. Eventually they bought a house in England and planned to settle down there with their two children, but Edwin founded a steamship company and they moved to New York City and New Orleans. When it came time to retire, they moved to Brevard, NC which they had visited many times. Unfortunately, Edwin passed away shortly thereafter.
When asked what she remembers most about her service in World War II, she replied,
“I did what I was supposed to do and I loved it!”