Allied Forces Index

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.     Site Home     WW2 Home     Add Stories     WW2 Search     Library     Help & FAQs  WW2 Features     Airfields     Allied Army     Allied Air Forces     Allied Navy     Axis Forces     Home Front     Battles     Prisoners of War     Allied Ships     Women at War     Those Who Served     Day-by-Day     Library     The Great War  Submissions     Add Stories     Time Capsule     TWMP on Facebook     Childrens Bookshop  FAQ's     Help & FAQs     Glossary     Volunteering     Contact us     News     Bookshop     About Advertisements World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

Womens Royal Naval Service 10th Sep 1941 Classes  Accomodation If you can provide any additional information, especially on actions and locations at specific dates, please add it here. Those known to have served with Womens Royal Naval Service during the Second World War 1939-1945. Agnello Carmela. Allen Connie. Ashburner Joan Margaret. Ldg Wren (d.9th Jun 1944) Bailes Olive Winifred. Ballard Ivy Edna. Barclay Madeline. First Offcr. Bartlett Eileen Alice. Batchelor Margaret Elsie Claire. Ldg Wren (d.9th Jun 1944) Brain Edna Gwyneth. Buckley Pamela Phoebe. 3rd Officer. Burford Doris Lilian. Ldg Wren. Canning Gertrude. Wren (d.30th Jun 1942) Canning Gertrude. Wren. (d.30th Jun 1942) Casey-Smith Elizabeth Violet. Wren Clarke Margaret Marion. Wren (d.28th Jan 1941) Clough Jeannie. Ldg Wren. Cram Elizabeth Laidler. Cunliffe Pauline. Darvill Inez Theresa. L/Wren. Dellar-Davey Anita. Dickinson Dorothy Patricia. Dowding Joyce Ethel. Giblin Edna Hilder. Wren Gompers Pauline Mary. Petty Officer Wren (d.27th Jul 1945) Hamnett Sheila. Harvey Pearl Daphne. Hulin Joan Mary. PO(Wren). Jackson Thelma Daphne. 3rd Officer (d.23rd Jul 1944) Lamb Christian. Lees Lily. Ldg.Wren. Lewis Frances Barbara. 3rd Off. (d.29th Jul 1945) Ludford Peggy Elsie. Martin Lillian. L.Wren. (d.26th October 1943) McAteer Annie. Nickless Phyliss. Owen Edna Grace. Pearson Evelyn. L/Wren Peters Gwendoline Alice. Ldg.Wren. Rodgers Emelia. Samme Sylvia Lilian. Smith Betty Eileen. Wren. Squires Isobel Florence. Petty Officer Wren (d.27th Jul 1945) Stewart Christina Masson. Tansley Pamela Annette. Ldg Wren (d.7th Jul 1942) Taylor Isabella Caldwell Adamson. Thorpe Ina. PO. Walker Melita Joan. Wren. Wallace Vera Shaw. Leading Wren. West Priscilla Rose. Wilson Catherine. Wright Dorothy May. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List Records of Womens Royal Naval Service from other sources. The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website. Announcements The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 24 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web. 22nd April 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than 263973 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible. Looking for help with Family History Research?   Please read our Family History FAQ's The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web. If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation. Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. We are now on Facebook. Like this page to receive our updates. If you have a general question please post it on our Facebook page. Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted. World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations. Want to know more about Womens Royal Naval Service? There are:1320 items tagged Womens Royal Naval Service available in our Library   These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. Christian Lamb Christian Lamb wrote the book "I only joined for the hat" about her experiences as a wren. Susan Vivian Add to this record. Dorothy Patricia Dickinson My mother Dorothy Patricia Dickinson was in the Wrens. She married my father Frederick John Cole of 57 Sqd RAF on the 10th April 1944. Read his story Susan Vivian Add to this record. 3rd Officer Thelma Daphne Jackson HMS Shrike (d.23rd Jul 1944) Daphne Jackson was the daughter of Charles Trench Stewart and Norah Eileen Trench Stewart, of Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland. She was married to Sub-Lieut.(A) Arthur Myles Jackson, R.N.V.R. who lost his life at H.M.S. Shrike Add to this record. Ldg.Wren. Lily Lees Lily Lees was a Leading Wren in the Royal Navy. She completed her training at Mill Hill and after finishing her first posting achieved her rank of Leading Wren. She spoke often of her postings, the friends she made and her role as a writer having served in a number of Royal Navy posts including:HMS Bruce, HMS Drake2, HMS Ferret, HMS Jackdaw and HMS Pembroke. At the date of writing, Lily Lees is 93 years old, but sadly very ill in a nursing home. Personal effects covering Lily's naval career have been recently re-discovered and the information shared. Heather McDonald Add to this record. L/Wren Evelyn Pearson Womens Royal Naval Service Evelyn Pearson served as a Leading Wren Cook. Add to this record. Wren. Melita Joan Walker HMS Drake Wren Melita Walker married Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander(D) Stanley Albert Quarterman, LDS, RNVR in Plymouth during World War 2. They were childless and I am their only nephew. Lt. Col. Tim Underhill Add to this record. Ivy Edna "Vicki" Ballard My mother was Ivy Ballard, born in 1923. She enlisted in the WRNS and was stationed in India, maybe Ceylon. My father was from the U.S. was also stationed in India. This is where they met and married. All we know of my mother’s military career is what I’ve written here. We have no information on date of enlistment, service number, awards, rank, or date of discharge. She and my dad were married on 6th of May 1945 and she came to this country after being discharged in 1946. His name was William G. MacKenzie. We have his records which show he was in Burma, so I would think she would have been around that area. Jane MacKenzie Batteiger Add to this record. Isabella Caldwell Adamson Taylor Womens Royal Naval Service Isabella Taylor was my mum. She served with the Women's Royal Naval Service in WW2. I have recently found a few of her papers and want others to know she served her country. Carol I Anderson Add to this record. Wren. Betty Eileen Smith HMS Pembroke Betty Smith served with the Women's Royal Naval Service in WW2. Add to this record. Joyce Ethel Dowding Joyce Dowding was born 4th August 1926 in Walthamstow, Essex. She responded to the requirement to complete wartime service by volunteering for the WRNS. Joyce completed her basic training as a rating and around 1944 was posted to a parachute packing unit at Ronaldsway, Isle of Man (her recollection following a visit to the Island in 1974). She also recalled duties as a drone operator for anti-aircraft gun training somewhere in Scotland. As neither duty was able to be confirmed by official document during her lifetime it is hoped that some of this information can be verified since her passing in 2010. Douglas George Gray Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices. I Only Joined for the Hat Christian Lamb A wonderfully evocative illustrated memoir that gives the reader a rare account in close-up of what life was truly like for World War II Wrens, as they were catapulted into the drudgery and deprivation, mayhem and maelstrom, and the tribulations and triumphs of war. In 1939, the young Christian Lamb felt she had to 'do her bit' for the war effort. Her comfortable life was about to be turned upside down. With a Naval background, the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) was the obvious choice, besides it had by far the most attractive uniform - topped by the splendid tricorne hat. On joining as a lowly Wren rating she found that this crowning glory was not for her but strictly for officers only. It was to be the first of many nasty surprises. In "I Only Joined For The Hat", the author wittily describes how class and snobbery had no place in a world of girls from all social backgrounds, suddenly plunged into life together. From scrubbing floors and squad drill to coding and catering, Christ More information on: I Only Joined for the Hat Bellbottoms and Blackouts Louisa M Jenkins 'The big day had arrived and after only three weeks' intensive training Susan passed out and mustered on the parade ground--a fully fledged Wren in the much sought after Communications branch of the service, proudly boasting the Naval flags on the badge on the sleeve of her jacket. There was a gabble of excited noise as the young Wrens, sounding like their feathered namesakes, jostled and pushed each other around the drafting board...' The author tells it like it was, the trials, the tribulations, and the fun--her detailed and humorous account of her experiences as Wren in World War II is both historically informative and delightfully entertaining. More information on: Bellbottoms and Blackouts British Women's Uniforms in Colour Photographs (World War 2) Martin Brayley & Richard Ingham This reference book contains the uniforms of the women's services during World War II. Nearly 200 colour photographs of rare, original uniforms from private collections are featured with detailed explanatory text. This really is an extraordinarily good book if you're looking for details of women's uniforms from the WWII period. Every page has a large, clear photograph of a uniform (worn by a modern model, but with 40s styling), plus detail shots of shoes, insignia, berets and so on. More information on: British Women's Uniforms in Colour Photographs (World War 2) The 1940s Look: Recreating the Fashions, Hairstyles and Make-up of the Second World War Mike Brown "The 1940s Look" tells you everything you need to know about the fashions of wartime Britain and the impact that rationing, the Utility scheme, changing tastes and the demands of everyday life had on the styles people wore. People had to 'Make Do and Mend' - with varying degrees of ingenuity and success. Hair styles, glasses, jewellery, and tattoos were essential in creating your own fashion statement. Women's magazines advised readers on the difficulties of dressing growing children, offered instructions for making clothes and accessories, and hosted debate over whether by dressing up, women were helping or hindering the war effort. Thoroughly researched and lavishly illustrated, "The 1940s Look" tells you how civilian men, women and children dressed - and why they looked the way they did during the Second World War. It draws on contemporary sources including government advice, periodicals and books, and benefits from an entertaining narrative by author Mike Brown. More information on: The 1940s Look: Recreating the Fashions, Hairstyles and Make-up of the Second World War Voices of The Codebreakers: Personal Accounts of the Secret Heroes of World War II Michael Paterson a comprehensive look at the undercover war, revealing just how much of WWII was won away from the battlefields and how each side desperately tried to get into the 'mind set' of their enemies' code makers.From the British cryptologists to the Navajo Indians whose codes helped win the war against Japan, this book reveals the stories of extraordinary people and their chance finds, lucky accidents, dogged determination and moments of sheer brilliance, to expose how the war was really won.It includes an intriguing glimpse of the early history of the computer - its spectacular uses and subsequent development. It features vivid first-hand accounts from the staff of Bletchley Park, French and Dutch resistance fighters, the American secret agents and members of the Services Liaison Unit who passed on vital coded information to field commanders. It also includes a 16 page plate section with rare archive photographs. More information on: Voices of The Codebreakers: Personal Accounts of the Secret Heroes of World War II Wartime: Britain 1939-1945 Dr Juliet Gardiner Juliet Gardiner's 'Wartime' provides a marvellously rich, and often entertaining, recreation of life on the Home Front, 1939-45, drawing on an enormous range of oral testimony and memoir. More information on: Wartime: Britain 1939-1945 Links

The free section of the Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers. We have been helping people find out more about their relatives wartime experiences since 1999 by recording and preserving recollections, documents, photographs and small items. The website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions. If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running. Hosted by: The Wartime Memories Project Website is archived for preservation by the British Library Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV - All Rights Reserved We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.