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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII
Women's Royal Naval Service, WRNS
Women's Royal Naval Service was reformed in April 1939, having been disbanded at the end of the Great War. The main objective was to release men for active service with women taking over the shore based tasks. By the end of the war the Wrens numbered 74,000.
List of those who served with the The Womens Royal Naval Service during The Second World War
- Ldg Wren Joan Margaret Ashburner (d.9th Jun 1944)
- Ldg Wren Margaret Elsie Claire Batchelor (d.9th Jun 1944)
- Pauline Cunliffe Read her Story.
- Dorothy Patricia Dickinson Read her Story.
- Petty Officer Wren Pauline Mary Gompers (d.27th Jul 1945)
- Sheila Hamnett Read her Story.
- 3rd Officer Thelma Daphne Jackson (d.23rd Jul 1944) Read her Story.
- Christian Lamb Read her Story.
- Petty Officer Wren Isobel Florence Squires (d.27th Jul 1945)
- Ldg Wren Pamela Annette Tansley (d.7th Jul 1942)
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
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
Christian Lamb
Christian Lamb wrote the book "I only joined for the hat" about her experiences as a wren.
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
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.
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