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In the past women were excluded from battle
because they were seen as physically weaker, naturally caring rather
than aggressive and less likely to take risks or seek adventure.
Some also worried that men would give women special protection
and attention on the battlefield which would compromise their own
safety.
> The first World
War
> The second World War and coming
soon... recollections of working with the Ack-Ack Gunners
> Since the World Wars; coming soon...accounts
of life as female soldiers
>Also
coming soon... the diary of a squaddie's
wife
The first World War
When the first World War broke out, women volunteered to do essential
work so that men were released to go into the armed forces.
This included general medical assistance and nursing in field hospitals
by the front line as well as back in Britain; working as cooks,
clerks, wireless telegraphists, code experts and electricians in
the Royal Navy, and working as chauffeurs, telephonists, waitresses,
instructors and so on for the auxiliary Army Corps.
But
after the war almost all women returned to running the home and
the family.
The second World War
When the second World War broke out in 1939, women once more
provided an essential workforce.
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| Women began
to wear trousers - but they were encouraged to look glamorous
- it boosted morale for both men and women |
The National Service Act made
the conscription of women legal. By the middle of 1943 nearly 90%
of single women and 80% of married women were employed in essential
war work.
Women soon made up a third
of the total workforce in metal and chemical industries, in ship
building and vehicle manufacture. They worked on railways, canals,
buses...and built London's Waterloo Bridge.
Women began to wear trousers, which
were much more practical for the sort of work they were now doing.
They were employed in anti-aircraft command, driving and performing
clerical and general duties for the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
> Coming soon... an account of working with the Ack-Ack Gunners
in York
The Land Girls worked in agriculture
and the Wrens (Women's Royal Navy Service) performed shore-based
duties, making men more available for service.
The Women's Air Force provided administrative
support, worked in operational control rooms and as radar operators.
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| Male and female members of
the RAF Royal Air Force on parade |
Women worked as nurses at home and
on enemy territory, working as saboteurs, couriers and radio operators.
Some were employed in secret naval communications and in code-breaking.
Although
many women were expected to return to the home again once the second
World War was over, the nature of women's employment had changed
forever.
Women in the forces since the wars
Since the World Wars, women's assistance in the forces has been
recognised as invaluable.
> Coming soon... Sandie's account of
being a female soldier in the Cold War
The armed forces now employ women more widely than ever before,
mostly in tehnical, administrative and support functions - but increasingly
in combat roles; posts which required killing the enemy with direct
fire weapons were traditionally closed to women.
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|
Commodore Carolyn Stait, the first woman to
hold a senior position in the Royal Navy
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In the Army women still tend to be employed more in driving, signalling
and commanding than in the gun line.
> Coming soon... a female soldier's
account of life in the Army
The percentage of women in the Navy has increased significantly
in the last ten years; they recently recruited the first woman to
hold a senior position.
The RAF too are keen to demonstrate to the public that women play
an active a role as men. They employ female pilots, aircrew, navigators,
flight engineers and aircraft ground crew.
> Are you interested in
a career in the army,
the Royal Navy
or the Royal Air Force?
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