VE Day brought first ever tot of naval-issue rum for Shropshire Wrens

The landlocked county was home to joint naval airfields at Hinstock and nearby Peplow, called HMS Godwit, where among those who served was Freda Soper, who was a Wren - that is, a member of the Women's Royal Naval Service - working in the Air Engineers Office.

Freda, who became Mrs Freda Davies and lived at Lockley Wood, near Market Drayton, was to recall: "When news broke of the Victory in Europe the CO gave us the rest of the day off. We all rushed back to our quarters, in my case to the 'Chestnut Camp' which has now become the Chestnut Estate, Hinstock.

"The order came down from their Lordships of the Admiralty to 'splice the mainbrace' and for the very first time in history, and as far as I am aware for the very last time, WRNS personnel were issued with a tot of rum.

"We lined up outside the Mess in high glee... clutching our cocoa mugs! Never before had we seen the Master-at-Arms dispensing a rum ration from the ceremonial barrel. Navy issue rum was very potent and unlike anything you can purchase elsewhere. Even when liberally diluted I found it overpowering and after the first sip I gave mine to a cabin mate.

"It was a sunny afternoon and there was a lot of high spirited fun around the camp during which I wrote HMS Neversink over the lintel in our cabin. This sign could still be seen many years, and several different uses later, until the huts were demolished."

Drawing the short straw as the duty officer at the base on that historic night was Phil Moss, whose commander warned him that he expected "all hell will be let loose." Moss described what happened in his book Under Five Badges.

Just to be on the safe side, he slipped a Smith & Wesson revolver into a shoulder holster under his jacket, and recruited half a dozen of the "more sober" lads to help him.

"The signal to 'splice the mainbrace' came through from the Admiralty in the early evening, and that was when the fun started," he said.

In the officer's mess, which was at Hinstock Hall, a young man fell through an upstairs window in the stable block. He plunged 12ft onto cobblestones, but survived - Moss thought because he was so drunk he fell "all relaxed" but nevertheless nearly severed his arm on broken glass and needed emergency treatment.

"Another young gentleman became so maudlin he decided he was going to commit suicide and had to be restrained.

"Another bunch of merry young men threw the Executive Officer, Commander X, into the static water tank. Commander X had never been unduly popular and when he complained that he couldn't swim it only raised hoots of laughter.

"Before we could get him beached and fully pumped out there came a call from the Wrenery to say that a gang of ratings had invaded and were threatening to rape some of the Wrens.

"When I appeared with my Brigade of Guards the sailors withdrew to their own camp. So far as I could ascertain no harm had come to the young ladies."

He added: "The next item on the agenda was that the ratings, thwarted of their prey, had dragged all the furniture out of their mess hall and set fire to it. Then we had to try and assemble a fire crew, but by the time they arrived there wasn't much furniture left. And so it went on."