RELATE: THE STORY WOMEN

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Bernard Lawrence
7 years ago
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1 Until the First World War ( ) the British Army didn t recruit women as soldiers at all: black and Asian women had to wait until the Second World War ( ). Members of the West Indies Auxiliary Territorial Service sitting on a military vehicle, Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck Inspecting Members of the Women s Auxiliary Corps (India), 1947 The Indian and West Indian women who volunteered for the Women s Auxiliary Corps (India) and the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) faced challenges because of their gender as well as their ethnicity. No women were allowed to fight in battle, and only white West Indian ATS were allowed to serve with the British military mission to Washington. But their vital work in operational support tasks released male soldiers for combat. By the end of the Second World War, over 190,000 members of the ATS from all across the British Empire were serving all over the world. Women now do almost as many jobs in the Army as they did in the Second World War, and in modern warfare are often in positions of danger. PAGE 40

2 1854 Mary Seacole sets up British Hotel in Crimea Mary Seacole was born in Kingston, Jamaica. Her father was a Scottish soldier, her mother a West Indian nurse. Seacole learned medicine from her mother, and practised as a nurse in the Caribbean and America. When the Crimean War broke out, Seacole travelled to London to offer her services, but was turned down. She paid her own way, and set up a shop, restaurant and hospital only a couple of miles from the fighting around Sebastopol. She tended the sick in her British Hotel, but also brought free food and medical care to soldiers on the battlefield. Mary Seacole. Reproduced courtesy of Helen Rappaport/National Portrait Gallery, London When the war ended Seacole was left with a shop full of stock she couldn t sell, and returned to the UK penniless. But grateful soldiers organised fund-raisers for Mother Seacole, and she lived out her life in Britain in comfort. PAGE 41

3 1917 Women s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) formed Although women had lived and travelled with armies for hundreds of years, it wasn t until three years into the First World War that British women were allowed to join the Army officially. Before the war, some women had campaigned for equal rights in voting and ownership of property. Not all volunteers for the WAAC shared these political views, but many felt a responsibility to do their bit Women s Army Auxiliary Corps pay parade, PAGE 42

4 1942 Women s Auxiliary Corps (India) formed The Women s Auxiliary Corps (India) performed similar duties to Britain s Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). These included driving, clerical and code work and general services, such as ferrying supplies for the troops. By February 1944 there were 7993 women in the Corps. It was disbanded in 1947 when India and Pakistan gained their independence. Members of the Women s Auxiliary Corps (India) in service dress, PAGE 43

5 Women of the West Indies Auxiliary Territorial Service, Black women permitted to join West Indies Auxiliary territorial service Black women from the West Indies had to overcome formidable barriers of prejudice when they attempted to join Britain s uniformed services during the Second Word War. In the early years of the war they were rejected by the War Office, initially on the grounds of colour, then later with the dubious argument that they would find it difficult to adapt to the climate and culture of Britain and so would be unable to discharge their duties effectively. However, this barrier was eventually broken down in the face of the growing demand for service personnel and when the Colonial Office pressed for a non-discriminatory recruitment policy on the grounds than it would greatly improve relations between Britain and the Caribbean. From 1943 black women were allowed to enlist in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and Royal Air Force (RAF) and be posted to Britain. By the end of the war, women in the ATS served in over a 100 different non-combatant roles. PAGE 44

Men from the British Empire in the First World War

Men from the British Empire in the First World War In 1914, Britain ruled over one quarter of the world s surface area and 434 million people. This was known as the British Empire. When war broke out, Britain was desperate for men to fight. Unlike France,