July 7 - The WAAC is Formally Established

This Day in History: 7 July 2020

 

7 July 1917

 

103 years ago, today, the British Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, the WAAC, was formally established, authorising female volunteers to serve alongside their male counterparts in France during World War One. Large numbers of women were already working in munitions factories, supplying for the Allied war effort. However, the conditions were harsh and long hours were spent working with toxic chemicals. In early 1917, a campaign began to allow women to directly support the war effort by enlisting in the army. They would perform labours, such as cookery and mechanical work, that would otherwise be completed by men.

 

The creation and establishment of the WAAC meant that for the first time, women were being sent in uniform to work as clerks, telephone operators, waitresses and other positions on the war front. Despite this, women were still paid less than their male counterparts. The War Office also set the restriction that for every woman volunteering through the WAAC, a man had to be released for frontline duties. None of the women could become officers, but those who rose in their own ranks became 'controllers' or 'administrators'. By the time the war had finished, around 80,000 women had served in the WAAC and the two other British female forces, the Women's Relief Defence Corps and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. Although they were non-combatants, they still served as invaluable contributors to the Allied war effort.

 

Want to find out more about the WAAC? Click here for more information, or here for more about the female role in the war.