Women in World War Two  by Collette Drifte

Book Review by Ruth A Symes

Link to buy my books Amazon.co.uk: Ruth A Symes: books, biography, latest update

This book gives vibrant voice to those women – many of them under the age of 20 when they first joined up – who entered the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service), Women’s Auxiliary Airforce (WAAF), and Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), as well as those in the WLA (Women’s Land Army), VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment), NFS (National Fire Service), and NAAFI (Navy, Army and Airforce Institutes). A final chapter looks at the few exceptional women in SOE (Special Operations Executive).

With the men away, the Britain of the 1940s was galvanised by women from all walks of life who courageously moved across the whole length and breadth of the country to train and work. Roles were many, from the ‘Cypher Queens’ who assisted the code-breaking operations at Bletchley Park to the ‘Lumber Jills’ who marshalled timber for military purposes. Women picked up tasks previously only undertaken by men: driving convoys, plotting aircraft movement, fitting planes,  repairing guns, and testing chemicals. Others continued in traditionally female positions, serving in canteens, nursing in hospitals, and, after the War, providing administrative assistance overseas as Europe slowly started to rebuild.

Women in the services were advised not to talk about their experiences or to keep diaries. This means that these retrospective accounts (collected first-hand by the author from subjects mostly in their 80s and 90s) sound all the more fresh and insightful. Many repeated themes emerge: the rigours of service life; basic living conditions and hearty appetites;  short but valued leave times; dances and cinema trips; the generosity of American troops; the secrecy surrounding D Day. If your female ancestor took part in the war effort in any capacity, this is an absorbing account of their experiences with plenty of pointers for further research.

[This review first appeared in Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine UK]