Mary Frances Shaw (Miss)

Mary initially served in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) as a driver. Two sisters that she was friendly with in FANY disappeared one day, but a few weeks later wrote to her saying that they were doing a job she would enjoy but they couldn’t tell her what it was. Having agreed she found herself summoned to Harrod’s.

Mary was interviewed on 20 Apr 1942 by Beatrice Temple while an ATS Private. She described how she sat in the cafe at Harrod’s department store watching another woman chatting to an officer in a kilt. She sat a discrete distance away and watched out of the corner of her eye. When the other woman left, the officer indicated for her to come over. She was nervous as to whether she should salute or not, given they were inside, but decided that it wasn’t appropriate in the setting. The interview was successful and was noted by Beatrice Temple, the kilted officer, in her diary.

4 Jul 1942 attended Coleshill Course.

She was visited by Beatrice Temple at Bury St Edmunds on 24 Aug 1942 and 1 Dec 1942.

She was injured in car accident at Bury St Edmunds on 28 Oct 1942 suffering serious head injuries and being knocked unconscious. She was cycling south out of the town, most likely on her way to the zero station, when she was hit by a car at Southgate Green.

2nd Dec 1942 Beatrice Temple recorded she had dinner with the Shaws and that Mary looked "dreadful". The case must have ended up in court as on Dec 3 1942 Temple's diary reports; "Wait for Mickie and picked up Shaws for Court. Mary’s case a travesty – prosecution missed all its many chances and case was dismissed. Returned to Suffolk to collect “Proceedings” from Police (most garbled) – met Mickie, Yolande at Mary’s hotel for Court of Enquiry in her bedroom". The local paper reports Subaltern M F Shaw giving evidence for the prosecution.

She arrived for her new post at Coleshill House 27 May 1943 "looking like a ghost".