Women's Auxiliary Air Force
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The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs (pronounced /ˈwæfs/), was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II. It was established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers reached over 180,000, with over 2,000 women a week joining up.
A Women's Royal Air Force had existed from 1918 to 1920. The WAAF was created in June 1939. Conscription of women did not begin until 1941. It only applied to those between 20 and 30 years of age and they had the choice of the Auxiliary services or factory work.
WAAFs did not serve as aircrew. The use of women pilots was limited to the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), which was civilian. Neither did they participate in active combat, though they were exposed to the same dangers as any on the "home front" working at military installations. They were active in the manning of barrage balloons in addition to performing catering, meteorology, radar, transport, telephonic and telegraphic duties. They worked with codes and ciphers, analysed reconnaissance photographs, and performed intelligence operations. WAAFs were a vital presence in the control of aircraft, both the radar stations and iconically as plotters in the operation rooms, most notably during the Battle of Britain. These operation rooms directed fighter aircraft against the Luftwaffe, mapping both home and enemy positions.
WAAFs were paid two-thirds of the pay of male counterparts in RAF ranks.
By the end of World War II, WAAF enrollment had declined and the effect of demobilisation was to take thousands out of the service. The remainder, now only several hundred strong, was renamed Women's Royal Air Force in 1949.
See also
Further reading
- Escott, Beryl (2003) The WAAF, Shire Publications ISBN 0747805725 (also quoted at [] in context of Czech WAAFs)
External links
- [The WRAF - Women in the Blue: Working through the Second War years] Royal Air Force official website
- [The Work of Women in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, The Second World War Experience Centre, Leeds UK]]
- [Women as Ground Crews, reproduced from The Aeroplane, No.1686, September 17, 1943]
- [WAAF Association]
- [Girlfriends, a musical about WAAFs] by Howard Goodall: the website includes research material
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