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Women in Military Service

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ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

jenVG

jenVG Report 23 Aug 2015 23:05

Is there a chance that a female relative born 1888 could have joined up for any sort of military service in WW1 please.

mgnv

mgnv Report 23 Aug 2015 23:36

Nurses for the British army were not part of the military, but this was not true for Canada and many of the Canadian nurses were born in Britain.
Also the WRNS was formed in 1917, and the WRAF in 1918. Members of the WRNS who had previously been involved in supporting the RNAS were transferred into the WRAF. The WRNS and WRAF were disbanded in 1919/1920 - athough they were later revived for WW2.

KathleenBell

KathleenBell Report 23 Aug 2015 23:38

Have a look here:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/britain_wwone/women_combatants_01.shtml

It seems some women did serve in non-combative roles.

Kath. x

jenVG

jenVG Report 24 Aug 2015 11:43

Thanks very much Kath. Very useful information. Jen x

+++DetEcTive+++

+++DetEcTive+++ Report 24 Aug 2015 21:18

One of my twigs was a Driver - she looks very fetching in her uniform!

Researching:
Dormant member as from 20 Sep 2019 . Click on my board name to send a message

Denis

Denis Report 26 Aug 2015 09:27

Interesting link here:

http://scottishwomenshospitals.co.uk/

greyghost

greyghost Report 26 Aug 2015 18:59

QAIMNS World War I Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military ...
www.qaranc.co.uk/qaimns.php
She joined the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service in 1914 and served at ... A unique feature is their WW1 Soldiers Medical Records section.

Archive WW1 - QARNNS
www.qarnns.co.uk/history/world-war-1/
Archive WW1. ... Some of the WW1 Hospital Ships in which QARNNS Sisters Served. 250213lot1.2 250213lot 1.1. HMHS ST. MARGARET OF SCOTLAND.

http://www.scarletfinders.co.uk/196.html

Not quite military, but worked with the military - Voluntary Aid Detachment
http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/Who-we-are/History-and-origin/First-World-War/Volunteers-during-WW1

Many nurses were awarded or decorated for their service and several were killed.

jenVG

jenVG Report 28 Aug 2015 09:33

Thanks greyghost! Very useful information.

MarieCeleste

MarieCeleste Report 28 Aug 2015 22:09

Just for info, here's a CWGC entry for a girl we researched for our local WW1 project:

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/658608/DRYSDALE,%20GEORGINA

She died of influenza and was previously a clerk, appointed to telephonist just a couple of weeks before she died.