womens

The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve and by the Chief of the Air Staff who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service overseas. The WAAAF was the first and largest of the World War II Australian Women's Services. It was disbanded in December 1947. During the early years of World War II the necessity to make use of women in many new avenues of employment became apparent. Despite resistance from some members of the War Cabinet, bureaucrats and the Service, in February 1941 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) received approval to create the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF). Wireless telegraphists were urgently needed to assist in meeting a temporary deficiency of male wireless telegraphists. Airwomen were accepted into 73 different musterings (trades), including highly skilled technical employment on aircraft. In addition to telegraphists, women became armament workers, electricians, fitters, flight mechanics, fabricworkers, instrument makers and meteorological assistants, besides using skills in many clerical, medical, transport, catering, equipment, signals and radar fields of employment. Over 700 women held commissioned rank and like airwomen, worked in a great variety of administrative, technical and professional tasks. A number commanded units in operations rooms, at General Douglas MacArthur's Headquarters in Brisbane dealing with intelligence matters, at Operational Units, in RAAF Hospitals, Aircraft Depots, Radar Stations, RAAF Bases – wherever they were needed, they served. Airwomen were paid two-thirds of RAAF male pay for equivalent positions. The officers were paid a good deal less than male officers of equal rank. The value of the work and the skills of the WAAAF during a period when thousands of men needed to be released for operational duty overseas and Australia itself was at risk, encouraged the formation of the Women's Royal Australian Air Force (WRAAF) in 1951. This branch of the RAAF was disbanded in 1977 when its members became an integral part of the RAAF. Source: www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0400b.htm

Wonder babies, forever young.

Leap year babies. The proof that time is a relative category. Some of us do not get older every but every fourth year.

War babies that look very healthy. Hope their dads made it home safely.

The Australian Women's Army Service became operational in October 1941. Preference was given to women with signals and administrative skills. They were paid wages equal to two-thirds that of their male equivalent. awas01.jpg (17396 bytes) Melbourne, Australia. 1942-08. Driver Doreen Kirkpatrick, of the Australian Women's Army Service wearing her best uniform and smile. They were restricted to service within Australia. The AWAS had their own rank and administrative arrangements and they reported to the Chief of General Staff (CGS). The Commanding Officer or "Controller" of the AWAS was equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel. Approximately 24,000 women enlisted in the AWAS during WW2. 3,618 of these served with the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA) and 3,600 with the Corps of Signals. By 1945 some women were allowed to serve at the advanced headquarters in Lae, while some other were sent to Hollandia. A 1941 report on AWAS It is expected that by the end of the year Australia will have 20,000 women in the uniform of the Australian women's army service. Already five thousand of these women are on the army strength and have been able to release an equivalent number of men for more active service in the field. Should the 20,000 objective be reached it will mean that an extra division of fighting troops will be available for service in the front line. So far the women's army has only been used for light duties on headquarter establishments where they have been able to take over the work of clerks, orderlies, cooks, waitresses and motor drivers. Recently, however, some have been taken into the signals section of the army and it is expected that others will eventually be trained in the use of anti-aircraft equipments. The rapid progress made in the organisation of the AWAS, and the success that has crowned their work, is an indication that the women of Australia are gallantly taking their part in what is gradually becoming an "all-in national war effort". The formation of the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps was to become a reality after World War II and The disbandment of the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) in June 1947. Source: www.diggerhistory.info/pages-conflicts-periods/ww2/pages-...