Women Power :)
Women went through a lot in WW2. It started with an evacuation of all the women and children who
were in "danger"cities. The Women Land Army (WLA) was re-created in July 1939 since so many men were called into action. At first there were only several thousand women in WLA but the Gov. tried to push this amount through glamorous ads. Many women ended up working in factories, manufacturing items like ammunition or aeroplanes. They worked long hard hours and some even moved for work. This clearly was not acceptable and in 1943, women at the Rolls Royce factory in Glasgow went on strike. The women had a part-victory as they returned to work on the pay of a male semi-skilled worker- not the level of a male skilled worker but better than before the strike. During the Blitz on London women in voluntary organizations did a very important job. The Women’s Voluntary Service provided fire fighters with tea and refreshments when the clear-up took place after a bombing raid. The WVS had one million members by 1943. In the military, all three services were open for women to join - the army, air force and navy. Women were also appointed as air raid wardens. When the women joined the army they became part of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Many of them ended up acting as drivers or working in mess halls but by 1942 some got the jobs of welders, carpenters, etc. Some women, like Violette Szabo who was awarded a George Cross award, were appointed to be secret agents. Some women even provided a smile of soldiers faces through entertainment and singing. The war in Europe ended in May 1945. At this time there were 460,000 women in the military and over 6.5 million in civilian war work. Without their contribution, our war effort would have been severely
weakened and it is probable that we would not have been able to fight to our greatest might without the input from women. Ironically, Hitler didn’t allow the women of Germany to work or help in war, only the women he captured which ended up sabotaging the work. Women power went a long way and helped us win the war.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/women_WW2.htm
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/women-in-ww2.html
http://www.history.com/topics/american-women-in-world-war-ii
http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/partners/exhibitentrance.html
were in "danger"cities. The Women Land Army (WLA) was re-created in July 1939 since so many men were called into action. At first there were only several thousand women in WLA but the Gov. tried to push this amount through glamorous ads. Many women ended up working in factories, manufacturing items like ammunition or aeroplanes. They worked long hard hours and some even moved for work. This clearly was not acceptable and in 1943, women at the Rolls Royce factory in Glasgow went on strike. The women had a part-victory as they returned to work on the pay of a male semi-skilled worker- not the level of a male skilled worker but better than before the strike. During the Blitz on London women in voluntary organizations did a very important job. The Women’s Voluntary Service provided fire fighters with tea and refreshments when the clear-up took place after a bombing raid. The WVS had one million members by 1943. In the military, all three services were open for women to join - the army, air force and navy. Women were also appointed as air raid wardens. When the women joined the army they became part of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Many of them ended up acting as drivers or working in mess halls but by 1942 some got the jobs of welders, carpenters, etc. Some women, like Violette Szabo who was awarded a George Cross award, were appointed to be secret agents. Some women even provided a smile of soldiers faces through entertainment and singing. The war in Europe ended in May 1945. At this time there were 460,000 women in the military and over 6.5 million in civilian war work. Without their contribution, our war effort would have been severely
weakened and it is probable that we would not have been able to fight to our greatest might without the input from women. Ironically, Hitler didn’t allow the women of Germany to work or help in war, only the women he captured which ended up sabotaging the work. Women power went a long way and helped us win the war.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/women_WW2.htm
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/women-in-ww2.html
http://www.history.com/topics/american-women-in-world-war-ii
http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/partners/exhibitentrance.html