Hi, I wonder if anyone can identify the uniform in the attached picture, it is a UK ladies uniform and the picture was taken in Egypt during ww2. I have enlarged 2 parts to try and make it clearer (upper arm and shoulder). Any help would be most appreciated and thanks for taking the time to read this post
"'FFL' is Free-French (Forces Françaises Libres)" - Thanks Rich very much for your thoughts, if you are correct then I now have to figure out why my English mother (who may have been in the WAAF's) had a photo taken with my father during ww2 in Egypt with a French Uniform on - intriguing
Free French female volunteers wore British ATS uniforms. She does though appear to have ATS brass shoulder titles (ATS means army rather than Air Force)...oddly the insignia appears clearer on the larger photo. Is there a cap badge in view ? Martin Brayley's books may help. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bQ3A-Z8ufZsC&pg=PA1955-IA12&lpg=PA1955-IA12&dq=ffl+ats+brayley&source=bl&ots=jh2XzMXx5G&sig=dy55EBfp9bRZ4w353dgt86XAy0I&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAWoVChMIw4uYmqCJyQIVylYUCh1BEgMq#v=onepage&q=ffl%20ats%20brayley&f=false Could she have been attached at some time to the French ? Was she fluent in the language ? There would undoubtedly have been some British liaison component.
Hi Rich, thanks for the extra info, I will try and answer your questions... Could she have been attached at some time to the French ? -- No Was she fluent in the language ? -- No, could speak a word of French to my knowledge. Is there a cap badge in view ? -- Unfortunately not in that uniform. The only other picture I have of her in a uniform, which was also taken in Egypt around the same time(ish - not sure of exact dates) should be attached attached. Thanks again for trying to help me with this
FFL is also French Foreign Legion - Susan Travers was the only woman who ever joined though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Travers https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XPd9hPE0dYYC&pg=PT13&lpg=PT13&dq=Were+there+English+women+in+the+Free+French+Forces+WW2&source=bl&ots=hKCLlf129L&sig=6upmR1CL4kEvtnT7Wcous9QFPJo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCIQ6AEwADgKahUKEwjCjuqI7IrJAhVDThQKHSpvDGw#v=onepage&q=Were%20there%20English%20women%20in%20the%20Free%20French%20Forces%20WW2&f=false I did a Google enquiry - according to this source, there should have been 'FRANCE' shoulder titles and an inverted winged sword amongst other things on the ATS uniform - can't tell but that doesn't seem to be there. No other hits for the abbreviation 'FFL' though. Although, do you know what, looking at the photograph of the senior French Officer on that Google Books page, the badges do look similar - curiouser and curiouser.
Hi Brian, thanks for your input - most appreciated. Could the shoulder bage in the first picture be R F L or B F L instead of F F L ???
