Doreen Maude Birse
1914 - 2010
Written by Liz Needham (Liz Needham & Peter Saunders are Doreen’s closest known surviving relatives)
Doreen Maude Birse was born on the 11th November 1914. She had two brothers but sadly she lost touch with them in later years and her efforts to trace them were unsuccessful. Her mother died when Doreen was still very young and, as a result, she spent a lot of her time with her cousin Joan’s family. As a little girl and throughout her life she was very close to Joan, who was also born in 1914, and to Joan’s children, John, Peter and Elizabeth. She was a fond godmother to John and the family has some lovely photos of Doreen playing with John in the garden when he was a little boy. Tragically John’s life was cut short far too early – when he was still in his fifties.
Doreen herself lived a long and full life. As a young woman growing up in the London area she and Joan would spend a lot of time together, having fun as young women do. They enjoyed going to the theatre and to dances, and they were members of the same tennis club. Doreen was chief bridesmaid at Joan’s wedding to Ray Saunders in May 1937. When war broke out in September 1939, Doreen was 24 and, along with many young women at that time, she enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, or the WAAF as it was called. She always had fond memories of her time in the WRAF and she took great pride in wearing the uniform. The photographs taken at the time show a very pretty young woman looking very neat and trim in her dress uniform. Indeed, Doreen always looked very smart and well groomed, whether in or out of uniform.
During her time in the WAAF she served in Gibraltar and this may well have sparked in Doreen her love of travel and her interest in different countries. She did well in the WAAF, being commissioned in 1942 and promoted to Section Officer a year later. Her last appointment, before she was de-mobbed in 1947, was as Passenger Officer at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire. Here she had to deal with
Doreen herself lived a long and full life. As a young woman growing up in the London area she and Joan would spend a lot of time together, having fun as young women do. They enjoyed going to the theatre and to dances, and they were members of the same tennis club. Doreen was chief bridesmaid at Joan’s wedding to Ray Saunders in May 1937. When war broke out in September 1939, Doreen was 24 and, along with many young women at that time, she enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, or the WAAF as it was called. She always had fond memories of her time in the WRAF and she took great pride in wearing the uniform. The photographs taken at the time show a very pretty young woman looking very neat and trim in her dress uniform. Indeed, Doreen always looked very smart and well groomed, whether in or out of uniform.
During her time in the WAAF she served in Gibraltar and this may well have sparked in Doreen her love of travel and her interest in different countries. She did well in the WAAF, being commissioned in 1942 and promoted to Section Officer a year later. Her last appointment, before she was de-mobbed in 1947, was as Passenger Officer at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire. Here she had to deal with
