Beatrice Temple described her as “delightful”. She made a special note that on 15 Jan 1943 Airlie fell off her bicycle and broke her nose! This may have lead to the drawing of her snoring by her fellow ATS Sally Waterhouse-Brown.
At some time between May and November 1943 Airlie was transferred from Cheddon Fitzpaine in Somerset to Hollingbourne Zero Station in Kent where she met and married Clive Gascoyne in January 1944 at Sevenhampton Church. She left in May 1944 expecting her first child.
Clive was an Auxilier from Linstead Patrol in the Sittingbourne area of Kent. The story goes that at their first meeting she pulled a gun on him when he discovered the Zero Station and descended down to investigate.
She used to ride her bicycle from billets to the Zero Stations, one day falling and breaking her nose. This is listed in Beatrice Temple's diary on 15th January, 1943 so must of happened at Taunton. This was why Sally Waterhouse-Brown made a comment of her snoring in her drawing.
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hickleton Hall (Doncaster) Instation | Operator | May 1942 | Sept 1942 |
| Thornham Magna Instation | Operator | Sept 1942 | Oct 1942 |
| Cheddon Fitzpaine Instation | Operator | Nov 1942 | Mid 1943 |
| Hollingbourne Instation | Operator | Mid 1943 | May 1944 |
After enlisting she trained at Edinburgh Officer Training Corps
Postings recorded in Beatrice Temple's diary show she was at Hickleton Hall, Doncaster 8 May 1942 to at least 31 Aug 1942.
Thornham Magna, Suffolk 6 Oct 1942 (last time).
Cheddon Fitzpaine, Somerset 13 Nov 1942 to 12 May 1943.
Hollingbourne, Kent by 24 Nov 1943 until she leaves May 1944.
By 1939 she had trained as a Voluntary Aid Detachment Nurse with British Red Cross. Her duties included tending to the survivors of the Dunkirk evacuation. Airlie and her widowed mother moved from London around 1937 to Sevenhampton. She was friendly with the Pleydell-Bouverie sisters at Coleshill House, one later becoming the Godmother of her son Jim. They may have met when being Presented at Court as debutantes.
