Meet Mary Churchill! A Prime Minister’s daughter and an Army Girl Behind the Guns π₯
Meet the remarkable figure who inspired Fenella J Miller‘s brand new novel #ArmyGirlsBehindtheGuns! Read Fenella’s blog post:
The Prime Ministerβs daughter, Mary, joined the ATS when she was only seventeen in 1941 but her experience bore little resemblance to that of the other girls who worked in the mixed artillery.
Whereas girls who werenβt so well connected spent every night either at their post or living in a Nissen hut Mary Churchill spent at least two nights a week in the luxury of 10 Downing Street.
That said, Mary certainly had a useful war and not all of it involved being behind the guns. Initially she was an NCO but was persuaded to become an officer β and again unlike ordinary mortals she was promoted with very little training.
Of course, she did her duty when she was actually there, but rather like Princess Elizabeth her experience wasnβt that of the ordinary girl.
Mary attended cocktail parties with presidents and royals and accompanied her father on key diplomatic trips which Iβm sure were equally important to the war effort. Even if her contribution to the meetings wasnβt great Iβm sure having her beside him helped Winston Churchill.
Something that really annoyed Mary was that officers in the ATS werenβt expected to be able to do the same duties as those that they were in command of. She however prided herself on being able to do everything her girls did. On one occasion she was able to demonstrate this perfectly when they were being visited by a group of diplomats and foreign dignitaries.
She went to Europe with the invasion force and commanded her girls admirably in a mixed artillery anti-aircraft battery both at home and abroad. She was awarded an MBE for her services β I wonder if she would have got this if she hadnβt been so well connected.
Mary Churchill was first and foremost the Prime Ministerβs daughter and being an ATS officer, although important, always came second.