Description:Page 21 of 'Drake Hall - A War-Time Hostel', a souvenir book produced for staff and residents at the Swynnerton Royal Ordinance Factory hostel at Drake Hall, produced in 1945.
On the left is Molly Mitchell, Chief Clerk. On the right is C. John Pearce, Cashier. Other staff in the General Office at Drake Hall were Marion MacArthur (Assistant Clerk), Edna 'Ted' Wallbank and Phyllis McLaughlin (on the Enquiry Counter), Gladys Davall (Accountant) and Barbara Moffatt (Assictant Cashier)
Molly Mitchell writes about her time at Drake Hall:
"For those of us, who, in the early days before the war, worked in a commercial office in some large city, we find this office of ours at Drake Hall in the heart of the country something very new indeed. Apart from the setting the work itself is also quite different. Now we have to man the telephone switchboard, and answer all sorts of questions at the Enquiry Counter. Instead of the usual office routine we have to check and keep up to date about one thousand ration books, and when the exchange of these takes place the reference leaf of each has to be filled in and, on receiving the new books, we have to extract the personal points and clothing book from each one and hand them to the residents concerned as the main ration book is kept in the office. There are also numerous applications for emergency ration cards. Staff and Accommodation Returns have to be worked out, Sick Bay Returns and Menus to be typed, visitors to be booked in and various other jobs which do not exist in a peace-time office. Our hours being much the same as in any commercial office, we have our evening free to enjoy any entertainment which may be showing in the Hostel. When the war has been won and all of us back home again, I am sure very often our thoughts will wander back to the many happy times we had at Drake Hall."