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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: kiwicatz on Thursday 28 July 16 09:14 BST (UK)
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I have googled this but found nothing. My Aunt's service cap definitely had the letters WAF on it.
Regards
Jan
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There was the Womens Auxiliary Air Force WAAF, I wonder ?
What was her date of birth. please?
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America had the WAF, Women's Air Force.
Jebber
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The WAAF cap badge was a laurel reef with RAF in the centre and King George's Vll crown on top the same as the men wore.
They later became WRAF and now just RAF. The only difference with the badge later was the change of the crown to Queen Elizabeth ll crown.
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I have googled this but found nothing. My Aunt's service cap definitely had the letters WAF on it.
Regards
Jan
If this was UK, There were a variety of jobs that the women did. Barrage Balloon teams. Radar station operators. Jobs at Bletchley Park.
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The women in the services in WW2 were put into jobs to release men. This varied from desk jobs to technical jobs and there were female service deaths.
The army had ATS. The ATS telephonists in France stayed at their post until the last minute and were some of the last to arrive at Dunkirk for evacuation in 1940.
There was a team of ATS electricians put on standby to follow the troops onto the beaches after D Day, they had been taught to rewire tanks. They were to go after a base was secured just off the beach. This was so they could repair any damaged tanks. After several days they were stood down and never went.
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Women were in the fire service in WW2 could it be that?
Edit - no that's the AFS
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That would be AFS
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snap
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Are you sure we're looking at WW2 because I've found this
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/women-and-the-british-army-in-the-first-world-war/
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See THE WOMENS AUXILIARY FORCE ON THE HOME FRONT, 1914-1918 http://goo.gl/iNxfzd
Stan
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Was it WAFS
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The link is the same as stanmapstone the Women's Auxiliary Force started by Misses Wathall and Sparshot and was a volunteer, part time organisation. They helped in hospitals and on the land and provided canteens and social clubs.
They did wear a uniform. Can't find a good photo of hat though.
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The link is the same as stanmapstone
My link is to the Imperial War museum, yours is to The Long Long Trail
Stan
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I was referring to the same WAF, we'd both found a reference to them based in WW1 not referring to the link. I expressed it wrong as you can see it's different. ::)
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Sorry, I misunderstood what you meant. I can find no images of the WAF badge and the photographs are too small to make out details. In WW2 there was The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS)
Stan
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Yes I looked at them but until we can discount the possibility that she could have been a member of WAF in WW1 we will have to offer both these possibilities. We don't even know if she was British in UK at the time.
That's the problem with people the other side of the world, they sleep when you want answers.
It was my fault, I should have reread my post and realised I'd worded it badly. :)
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My Mum was a WAAF / WRAF during WW2 -- she was an aircraft mechanic -- servicing & repairing operational aircraft
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I referred to the ATS previously, my mother was in the ATS and was based at Chilwell Nottingham. She was stripping out electrical wires and rewiring the tanks to get them ready to go to battle again. She said the stench in some was overpowering, you don't need much imagination to realise what had happened.
Mum was a L/Cpl and one of those put on standby for D Day. She had to be ready with a small pack for several days before she was stood down. She never told grandma how near she came to going to France as it would have upset her.
Somewhat later ;D I joined the WRAF. It was WAAF during WW2 and up to 1949 then it became WRAF. :)
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Hi - I have this photo of my Grandmother in the UK WAF corp in WW2 I have been told. If anyone thinks this any of these people or group look familiar, please let me know?
I have been researching for some time and enquired to several UK sites to find a service number for my Grandmother to no avail.
We grew up knowing that Grandma was one of the first women to join WW2 and was told of being in trains to Berlin and getting gun fired at.
My research has already indicated that, "When they are close to the front line or sent overseas in support of men on active service they need to be in Uniform and have Army serial numbers." - So - in knowing that and if in WAF or I have been quoted NAAFI - there possibly will not be a service number?
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I think this picture has been badly colourised giving the wrong impression of service.
WAAF uniform had black tie and shoes and tunic should have RAF eagle shoulder patches.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Women%27s_Auxiliary_Air_Force,_1939-1945._CH10577.jpg
In this case the lighter tie and shoes suggests the khaki and brown of the ATS.
Ross
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Thank you Ross - this is great information and has helped me greatly knowing it is the ATS. I am just new to this research and I agree that looking at the ATS uniform on Google is pretty spot on. From my understanding, the members of the ATS would not have a Service Number I would presume? Would you know or have heard.
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Agree. These are not WRAF. Initially I thought they were ATS but a closer look at their cap badges shows the rampant lion (?) of the WRAC, so taken after the formation of that Corps in 1949.
The officer is from the Royal Artillery and the women (all Corporals or Lance-Corporals) have Corps badges above the left breast pocket. The definition is a bit poor but one appears to be a grenade which might indicate Gunners or Engineers. The other could be either Signals or Medics. So a training course of some kind.
Maec
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The WAAF cap badge was a laurel reef with RAF in the centre and King George's Vll crown on top the same as the men wore.
They later became WRAF and now just RAF. The only difference with the badge later was the change of the crown to Queen Elizabeth ll crown.
A typo no doubt but it was King George Vl.
Viktoria.
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These are not WRAF. Initially I thought they were ATS but a closer look at their cap badges shows the rampant lion (?) of the WRAC, so taken after the formation of that Corps in 1949.
The other could be either Signals or Medics.
Maec
As Maec says this photo is from 1949 or later, so the unknown capbadge is highly unlikely to be Royal Signals as their capbadge changed to the version used today, without the oval band surrounding the figure of Mercury, in 1949.