The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000 at its peak strength in 1943, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.

History

A Women's Royal Air Force had existed from 1918 to 1920. The WAAF was created on 28 June 1939, absorbing the forty-eight RAF companies of the

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...

which had existed since 1938. Conscription of women did not begin until 1941. It only applied to those between 20 and 30 years of age and they had the choice of the auxiliary services or factory work. Women recruited into the WAAF were given basic training at one of five sites, though not all of the sites ran training simultaneously. The five sites were at

West Drayton West Drayton is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and from 1929 was part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District, which became part of Greater London in 1965. Th ...

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079. Histor ...

Innsworth Innsworth is a suburb of Gloucester, it is also a civil parish and forms part of the borough of Tewkesbury, in the county of Gloucestershire, England. The parish population taken at the 2011 census was 2,468. It contains Imjin Barracks, the h ...

and

Wilmslow Wilmslow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England, south of Manchester city centre. The population was 24,497 at the 2011 Census. History Toponymy Wilmslow derives its name from Old ...

. All WAAF basic recruit training was located at Wilmslow from 1943. WAAFs did not serve as aircrew. The use of women pilots was limited to the

Air Transport Auxiliary The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British civilian organisation set up at the start of the Second World War with headquarters at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire. The ATA ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factori ...

(ATA), which was civilian. Although they did not participate in active combat, they were exposed to the same dangers as any on the "home front" working at military installations. They were active in parachute packing and the crewing of barrage balloons in addition to performing

catering Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio. History of catering The earliest account of major services be ...

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

, aircraft maintenance, transport, communications duties including wireless telephonic and

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

ic operation. They worked with

codes In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...

and ciphers, analysed reconnaissance photographs, and performed

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can be des ...

operations. WAAFs were a vital presence in the control of aircraft, both in radar stations and iconically as

plotters A plotter is a computer printer for printing vector graphics. Plotter may also refer to: *Plotter (instrument), an instrument that marks positions on a map or chart *Plotter (RAF), a person who records the movement of military aircraft in an Opera ...

in operation rooms, most notably during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

. These operation rooms directed fighter aircraft against the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

, mapping both home and enemy aircraft positions. Air Force nurses belonged to

Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) is the nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force. It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service (RAFNS) in 1918, and became part of the permanent establishment ...

instead. Female medical and dental officers were commissioned into the Royal Air Force and held RAF ranks. WAAFs were paid two-thirds of the pay of male counterparts in RAF ranks. By the end of World War II, WAAF enrolment had declined and the effect of

demobilisation Demobilization or demobilisation (see spelling differences) is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and milit ...

was to take the vast majority out of the service. The remainder, now only several hundred strong, was renamed the Women's Royal Air Force on 1 February 1949.

Directors

On 1 July 1939, Jane Trefusis Forbes was made Director of WAAF, with the rank of Senior Controller, later, Air Commandant. On 1 January 1943 she was appointed to the rank of Air Chief Commandant with its creation. On 4 October 1943, while Forbes toured Canada, assessing the

Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division The Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division was a non-combatant element of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) which was active during the Second World War. The Women's Division's original role was to replace male air force personnel so that th ...

, she was relieved by Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, who had been head of the WAAF since 1939, again with the rank of Senior Controller, then, Air Commandant, being gazetted to Air Chief Commandant on 22 March 1943. Forbes retired in August 1944, and the post of director was given to Mary Welsh, who was appointed Air Chief Commandant. After the war, the rank of Air Chief Commandant was suspended and in December 1946, the final director of WAAF, Felicity Hanbury, was appointed. *Air Chief Commandant Dame Jane Trefusis Forbes, June 1939 – 4 October 1943 *Air Chief Commandant Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, 4 October 1943 – August 1944 *Air Chief Commandant Dame Mary Welsh, August 1944 – November 1946 *Air Commandant Dame Felicity Hanbury, December 1946 – January 1949

Ranks

Initially, the WAAF used the ATS ranking system, although the director held the rank of senior controller (equivalent to brigadier in the British Army and air commodore in the RAF) instead of chief controller (equivalent to major-general or air vice-marshal) as in the ATS. However, in December 1939 the title was changed to air commandant, when the ranks were renamed and reorganised. Other ranks now held identical ranks to male RAF personnel, but officers continued to have a separate rank system, although now different from that of the ATS. From February 1940 it was no longer possible to enter directly as an officer; from that time all officers were appointed from the other ranks. From July 1941 WAAF officers held full commissions. On 1 January 1943, the rank of air chief commandant (equivalent to air vice-marshal) was created with the director's appointment to that rank.

Officers

Other ranks

WAAFs serving with SOE

Several members of the WAAF served with the

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

during the Second World War. * Assistant Section Officer Noor Inayat Khan (9901), posthumously Mentioned in Dispatches and awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Gold Star and the George Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry not in the face of the enemy. * Section Officer Yvonne Baseden * Section Officer

Yolande Beekman Yolande Elsa Maria Beekman (7 January 1911 – 13 September 1944) was a British spy in World War II who served in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and the Special Operations Executive. She was a member of SOE's Musician circuit in occupied France ...

, posthumously awarded the French Croix de Guerre. * Assistant Section Officer

Sonya Butt Sonya Esmée Florence Butt (14 May 1924 – 21 December 2014), also known as Sonia d'Artois, code named ''Blanche,'' was an agent of the clandestine Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. SOE agents allied themselves with gro ...

(9910) * Section Officer Muriel Byck * Flight Officer

Yvonne Cormeau Yvonne Cormeau, born Beatrice Yvonne Biesterfeld (18 December 1909 – 25 December 1997), code name ''Annette,'' was an agent of the United Kingdom's clandestine organization, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), in World War II. She was the ...

, awarded the MBE, the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, Croix de Guerre and Médaille combattant volontaire de la Résistance. * Flight Officer Alix D'Unienville * Flight Officer Krystyna Skarbek (aka Christine Granville), awarded the OBE,

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in cir ...

and Croix de Guerre. * Section Officer Mary Katherine Herbert * Section Officer Phyllis Latour * Section Officer Cecily Lefort, posthumously awarded the French Croix de Guerre. * Section Officer Patricia O'Sullivan * Sergeant Haviva Reik (aka Ada Robinson) * Assistant Section Officer Lilian Rolfe, posthumously awarded the MBE and the Croix de Guerre. * Section Officer Diana Rowden, posthumously awarded the MBE and the Croix de Guerre. * Section Officer Anne-Marie Walters, awarded the MBE.

Flying Nightingales

Nursing Orderlies of the WAAF flew on RAF transport planes to evacuate the wounded from the Normandy battlefields. They were dubbed Flying Nightingales by the press. The RAF Air Ambulance Unit flew under 46 Group Transport Command from RAF Down Ampney,

RAF Broadwell Royal Air Force Broadwell or more simply RAF Broadwell is a former Royal Air Force station located 2 miles north of Broadwell and 3 miles southeast of Burford, Oxfordshire, and within 2 miles of RAF Brize Norton. It opened on 15 November 19 ...

, and RAF Blakehill Farm. RAF

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota, ...

aircraft carried military supplies and ammunition so could not display the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

. Training for air ambulance nursing duties included instruction in the use of oxygen, injections, learning how to deal with certain types of injuries such as broken bones, missing limb cases, head injuries, burns and colostomies; and to learn the effects of air travel and altitude. In October 2008 the seven nurses still living were presented with lifetime achievement awards by the

Duchess of Cornwall Duchess of Cornwall is a courtesy title held by the wife of the eldest son and heir of the British monarch. The current title-holder is Catherine, wife of William, Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall. Duchesses of Cornwall Until her husband' ...

Gallery

File:The Operations Room at RAF Fighter Command's No. 10 Group Headquarters, Rudloe Manor (RAF Box), Wiltshire, showing WAAF plotters and duty officers at work, 1943. CH11887.jpg, The Operations Room at RAF Fighter Command's No. 10 Group Headquarters, Rudloe Manor (

RAF Box RAF Rudloe Manor, formerly RAF Box, was a Royal Air Force station located north-east of Bath, England, between the settlements of Box and Corsham, in Wiltshire. It was one of several military installations situated in the area and covered three ...

), Wiltshire, showing WAAF

and duty officers at work, 1943 File:Noor_Inayat_Khan.jpeg, Noor Inayat Khan File:Waafsspeakgerman large.jpg, WAAF Operation Corona Radio Operators File:HRH Princess Alice Commandant of the WAAF.jpg, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester Commandant of the WAAF File:Barrage ballons.jpg, WAAF Barrage Balloon crews at RAF Cardington. File:Members of the Womens Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) repair and pack parachutes for use by airborne troops during the Normandy invasion, 31 May 1944. TR1783.jpg, Members of the WAAF repair and pack parachutes for use by airborne troops during the Normandy invasion, 31 May 1944. File:WAAF grave, Clonmacnoise.jpg, Grave of an Irish WAAF,

Clonmacnoise Clonmacnoise ( Irish: ''Cluain Mhic Nóis'') is a ruined monastery situated in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th cen ...

. Cpl Bridget White was serving with the No3 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit based at

RAF South Cerney Royal Air Force South Cerney or more simply RAF South Cerney is a former Royal Air Force station located in South Cerney near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, England. It was built during the 1930s to conduct flying training. The airfield was tu ...

when she died in a road accident. File:W.A.A.F.s at Ultimo Technical College, Sydney, 1943.jpg, W.A.A.F.s working on an aircraft fuselage at Ultimo Technical College, Sydney, 1943

NotesAir Ministry, ''Women's Auxiliary Air Force: Notes for the Information of Candidates'', 5th edition, 1941.

References

External links

''The WRAF - Women in the Blue: Working through the Second War years''
��Royal Air Force official website
''The Work of Women in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force'', The Second World War Experience Centre, Leeds UK
* ttp://www.waafassociation.org.uk WAAF Associationbr>''Girlfriends'', a musical about WAAFs
by Howard Goodall: the website includes research material
Early Radar Memories; Sgt. Jean (Sally) Semple, one of Britain’s pioneer Radar Operators
Retrieved: 22 June 2008
One Woman's War
Website of former WAAF Officer Eileen Younghusband's latest book 'One Woman's War'.
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
from the IBCC Digital Archive at the University of Lincoln. {{WW2AirDefenceUK All-female military units and formations Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations of the United Kingdom in World War II Royal Air Force British women in World War II 1939 establishments in the United Kingdom Women's organisations based in the United Kingdom