Themes

The Navy's People

• Naval Lives

• In Focus: Women in the Navy

  • The story of the WRNS

  • The Image of Women in the Navy

  • Free a Man for the Fleet

  • Camaraderie

• In Focus: Recreation and Time off

• In Focus: Discipline and Punishment

Learning

• How To: Understand Naval Medals

1938 - 1945

Article highlights

• Reforming the WRNS

• Pre-war anxiety

• Starting again

• Volunteers, not conscripts

• Training

• Working life - find out about some of the different jobs the Wrens did

• The end of the War

Pre-war anxiety

There were various proposals made to the government for a women's reserve corps in order to provide trained personnel. A sub-committee considered the idea in 1935 but concluded that no organisation could usefully start for the Royal Navy before the outbreak of war.

Attempts to outline policy began again in 1938. The Navy conceded that it was a good plan to determine the requirements of a female auxiliary service in wartime and to outline the organisation which would then be set up.

Recruitment during the war would be through the Ministry of Labour. The Navy estimated that it needed about 3000 Wrens in addition to women already working in the Admiralty Headquarters.

They would mostly work as clerks, domestics, motor drivers, charwomen, packers and so on. None of these trades needed pre-war training so the Navy again decided that there was no need to set up a special organisation prior to the outbreak of hostilities.

The Government published a handbook on National Service in September 1938 for the public. The handbook mentioned the first announcement about the new Women's Royal Naval Service.

It gave requirements 'in time of war or emergency' for 1500 women to substitute Naval and Royal Marine ranks and ratings in secretarial, clerical, accounting, shorthand and typewriting duties, and domestic duties as cooks, stewardesses, waitresses and messengers.

Related External Links

• BBC Website - Peoples War