Women´s War Records launched online for International Women´s Day
Women´s War Records launched online for International Women´s Day
08 March 2006
The military records of the first British women to serve in a combat zone are being made available online to coincide with International Women´s Day.
The National Archives has digitised more than 7,000 records of the Women´s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), 1917-1920, and made them available on DocumentsOnline.
The Women´s Army Auxiliary Corps were the:
(a) first of the British women's military services to be set up - in January 1917
(b) first women to wear a military uniform (hence the phrase 'Khaki women')
(c) it could be argued, the first official recognition by the British wartime state that women had a 'right to serve'
Of the 57,000 women who served in the WAAC, 9,000 were deployed in France in areas exposed to direct conflict. While the WAACs were charged with carrying out a variety of non-combatant duties such as telephonists, bakers, waitresses, electricians, cooks, typists, printers, signalers, clerks etc -they still took considerable physical risks.
In May 1918 during an air raid in Abbeville, France, nine WAAC personnel were killed. While three WAACs received the Military Medal for bravery as a result of their rescue efforts during the raid.
Sheila Gopaulen, Manager of Modern Records, said:
"Historians have often focused attention on women's war efforts in substituting for men in the civilian workforce to release them for military service."
"Relatively little research has been carried out on women's military services during the Great War."
Only 7,016 of the 57,000 Women´s Army Auxiliary Corps records remain - after being severely damaged during a German air raid in September 1940 - with the majority comprising lower ranking servicewomen (known as "Workers").
William Spencer, The National Archives Senior Military Records specialist said the files that survived, were some of the most detailed British World War One service records in existence. As well as giving details of a woman´s military service, they describe her physical appearance, age, marital status, family details, civilian employment and even references of good character.
"From a social history perspective, it was fortunate that these 7,000 odd files were the ones that survived.
"Low ranking servicewomen were more likely to come from working class backgrounds, and this is the demographic that appears the least in historical records."
Making these documents available online allows the public easy access to the broad detail contained uniquely in these service records. You can search the records by name (including maiden name), place of birth and date of birth.
William said:
"It´s rare that war records give such insight into a recruit´s existence beyond the scope of their time in service.
"These records provide a flavour of daily life for these women before they joined the armed services."
