FOR three months, they spent all their waking time together.

Now the eight women have reunited to spend the weekend in York - meeting again for the first time in more than four decades.

In 1963, all were stationed at Catterick Garrison in the Woman's Royal Army Corps (WRAC) training to become signals girls.

They are spending the weekend in York after coming face-to-face again at the city's station thanks to the internet.

Trip organiser Irene Maclean said members of the group all drifted apart when they were sent to different Army regiments but had found each other on the world-wide web.

Email helped them keep in touch and they chose York as their rendezvous yesterday because the train station was a central changing point for units from all over the country.

The WRAC was formed was formed in 1949 and succeeded the Army Territorial Service (ATS) girls who served during the Second World War.

Irene said the women, all now grandparents, were delighted to have met once more. "Most of us had to stop at York to get the train to Catterick," she said.

"So when we were organising this we thought that York would be ideal - especially as it will be the 60th anniversary of the end of the war.

"We were all posted to different regiments after training. Some went to Germany, some went to Singapore. This is the first time we have all met together for 42 years.

"There will be a lot to talk about and it is absolutely wonderful to see everyone again. It is difficult to put into words what it means. It is a lovely feeling.

"We all still feel as young as we did in the 1960s and the atmosphere when we were meeting up in the train station was fantastic."

The group planned to spend the weekend visiting the city sights and will be taking a trip to York Minster.

Updated: 09:39 Saturday, April 23, 2005