when was the w.a.a.f formed?

Question

my daughter is doing a school project. any information on women during world war 2 would be great

Answer 1

It was formed in June 1939.

Answer 2

My mother (who is 86) joined the WAAF in 1939 because her brothers had already been 'called up' and she thought she would have more choice as a volunteer. After doing some clerical work (she was a trained civil service secretary) she wanted something more interesting so went on an electrician's course. After that she worked on the electrics of bombers at various RAF stations. Part of her work was maintaining the bomb-launching equipment in the aircraft's bomb bay. She also worked on what she called Link Trainers which I believe was a sort of primitive machine for training pilots - the forerunner of flight simulators.

Obviously, she was surrounded by lots of glamorous men, and she met my father there, marrying him as soon as the war was over. He was also an electrician, but worked on maintaining the RAF station electrics, including generators for searchlights.

They often had to shelter from bombing raids, but many of the airfields were safer than some cities. It was an exciting time and they felt that civilian life after the war was really rather boring by comparison. As a kid, I was interested in making radios and things like that, and she amazed me with her expertise at soldering!

She was very proud to wear her medals at the various recent commemorations of the war, and rather offended when asked if they were her husband's.

Answer 3

at the outbreak of war in Sept 1939, the WOMEN'S
AUXILIARY AIR FORCE grew from about 1,700 members to approximately 180,000 by 1943.

They served in up to 15 types of duty ranging from catering to meteorology, transport, telephony and telegraphy, codes and ciphers, Intelligence, Security and Operation Rooms.

Members of the WAAF were among the 1,570 ground crew who lost their lives. The WAAF re-formed into the WRAF in 1949, and fully integrated into the RAF in 1994.

Women in the Navy served during world war one, the Wrens, had also the WRNR (naval reserve), QARNNS) Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service, & VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachments).

but the first units were in the army. The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was formed during World War One. In the build up to its creation, the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps encountered the prejudices that existed at that time to women in general, but to their part in the military in particular. As with the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps played an important part in the war – despite the initial obstacles put in its way.

On January 16th, 1917, Lieutenant-General H Lawson recommended using women in the army in France. To the critics of his idea, Lawson played on the importance of women working in vital ammunition factories in Britain and the work they were doing for the war effort. The Adjutant-General, Sir Neville Macready, believed that if women were to join the army, they should be treated exactly the same of male soldiers. The War Secretary, Lord Derby, was in broad agreement with Macready but was anxious that the whole issue did not stir up agitation as was witnessed before the war.

by the second world war, there was also the Land Army and there is a great homework page at http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/war/women.htm.

Answer 4

www.google.com