Womens Royal Naval Service

Discussion in 'The Women of WW2' started by D Foreman, Mar 18, 2008.

  1. D Foreman

    D Foreman Junior Member

    Noticed that the WRNS havent got a mention yet.. so Id thought Id start something off as I reenact a 'leading wren' - equivalent of corporal in the army I believe.

    One thing I thought was unusual was that they were the only womens service not to be covered my military law - they had to answer to the 'civilian law' as the Navy never really recognised them as part of their service to much later on....

    So come on... what do you know... what dont you know... and what interesting stories or facts do you have floating about? :)
     
  2. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    I will step up to the plate and state that I know little or nothing about them, which is why we have people like your good self who will educate us about them! You have a blank canvas Deb and the forum is your oyster!
     
  3. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Only thing I know about the Wrens is that mu Mum's old boss, Mr Davis, was an ex-Royal Marine and his wife was a Wren.
     
  4. Ednamay

    Ednamay wanderer

    I am trying to find information about my cousin, Peggy Harwood, based at the Duchess of Kent Barracks, Portsmouth,dates (I think) about 1944 - 1950; would welcome any contribution.

    Ednamay
     
  5. 4/7 RDG

    4/7 RDG Member

    More than 100,000 women served in the WRNS during the war, in 90 rating and 50 officer categories, with a peak strength of 74,620 in September 1944. . . . Despite orders that women should not be engaged in the firing of weapons, WRNS gun teams are known to have manned (?) twin Lewis gun AA mountings on remote naval air stations.

    WWII British Women's Uniforms by Brayley and Ingram
     
  6. Ednamay

    Ednamay wanderer

    I am trying to find information about my cousin, Peggy Harwood, based at the Duchess of Kent Barracks, Portsmouth,dates (I think) about 1944 - 1950; would welcome any contribution.

    Ednamay

    Peggy Harwood was involved at the D Day planning headquarters, where there was a team of WRNS taking calls, monitoring the movements and plotting on the table. Does anyone have any more information about that??

    Ednamay
     
  7. Southern View

    Southern View Junior Member

    Hi All
    I'm new to ww2talk but am very interested in ww2. I currently live in Chongqing, China, one of the Flying Tiger's bases, but that's for another thread.

    My mother, who is still alive at 85 :), was a Wren at Macrahanish in Scotland. She never really talks about it much and I haven't asked her that much, but this BB has got me interested and I'll have to talk to her.
     
  8. Robannier

    Robannier Junior Member

    Am trying to research the life of Yvonne Gascoigne of Lotherton Hall, Yorkshire. Believed to have served in the WRENS during WWII as a WREN ferrying messages out to ships in the Channel, or a despatch rider, and also believed to have flown planes to air bases up and down England.

    Am not her NOK so cannot obtain service records. Anyone know of any other route I could take to find out what she did exactly during WWII please?

    Thanks
     
  9. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Am trying to research the life of Yvonne Gascoigne of Lotherton Hall, Yorkshire. Believed to have served in the WRENS during WWII as a WREN ferrying messages out to ships in the Channel, or a despatch rider, and also believed to have flown planes to air bases up and down England.

    Am not her NOK so cannot obtain service records. Anyone know of any other route I could take to find out what she did exactly during WWII please?

    Thanks

    Do you know if she is still alive or how long ago she passed away?
     
  10. Robannier

    Robannier Junior Member

    Do you know if she is still alive or how long ago she passed away?
    She died in 1975 but in America. Cannot obtain her death cert. as that needs notary to witness NOK. The actual archives of the family are not yet catalogued and therefore would take hours to go thru' with probably no result.
     
  11. Robannier

    Robannier Junior Member

    She died in 1975 but in America. Cannot obtain her death cert. as that needs notary to witness NOK. The actual archives of the family are not yet catalogued and therefore would take hours to go thru' with probably no result.
    Forgot to say also she did not have any children, her husband died before her and there are no direct relations living.
     
  12. Camac

    Camac Junior Member

    Souther View.

    My Aunt Kathleen Winfred Gibbons (nee Lee) was also a Wren and stationed at Macrahanish'

    Camac
     
  13. Ednamay

    Ednamay wanderer

    Machrihanish was a Royal Naval Air Station where aircraft from aircraft carriers went for overhaul and servicing while their aircraft carriers in the Clyde also were overhauled and serviced before return to North Atlantic Convoy work

    Ednamay
     

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