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Women's (later Queen Mary's) Army Auxiliary Corps (1917-1920)

You can now search and download the service records of more than 7,000 women who joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (1917-1918), later Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (1918-1920). Use the links below to jump to the topics you are interested in.

Introduction

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Volunteers in 1917 (Cat ref NATS 1/1307)

Women entered the workplace in greater numbers with the outbreak of the First World War. Some were acting out of patriotism, while others seized the opportunity to do work previously denied to them. The newly-formed Ministry of Munitions was one of the main employers to take advantage of women's willingness to work. At the same time, there was great concern that men who could be fighting on the Front were being used for administrative tasks instead.

This became more worrying in 1916 following the heavy losses on the Western Front and new voluntary services were founded as a response to this. One of these was the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps or WAAC (founded in 1917).

The WAAC was divided into four sections: Cookery; Mechanical; Clerical and Miscellaneous. Most stayed on the Home Front but around 9,000 served in France. The women in the WAAC did not have full military status. They enrolled, they did not enlist, and breaches of discipline were dealt with by civil, not military, courts. The grades (ranks) were divided into Controllers and Administrators (the officers) and Members (the other ranks). Within the Members there were forewomen (sergeants), assistant forewomen (corporals) and workers (privates).

Rates of pay were determined by the type of work. So for example, a shorthand typist was paid more than a kitchen assistant. But a woman in the WAAC was still paid less than a man in the Army who was doing the same work. The WAAC uniform and accommodation were provided free but there was a weekly charge of 12/6 (12 shillings and sixpence) for food.

It was renamed the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) in April 1918. And when the Royal Air Force (RAF) was created in 1918 a number of WAAC volunteers entered the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF). The Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps disbanded in September 1921.

These records are held in the series WO 398. Previously they had only been available at The National Archives.

Searching the records

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You can search on any or all of the following:

What could these records help me to discover?

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You could discover many details about the women who served in the WAAC and QMAAC because the service records include a variety of material such as:

The original documents suffered substantial fire, water and mould damage and this left some text in poor contrast. The microfilms were of the highest quality obtainable and during filming, every effort was made to maximise image retention.

Examples of the records

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The documents themselves are straightforward. Some are on pre-printed forms, for example the application and enrolment forms or the Certificate of Identity, but you might also find handwritten letters such as pay enquiries.

Applicants had to appear before a selection board and they needed to provide two references. They would also have to pass a medical examination before they could be accepted. You can see samples of some of the documents below. These are taken from the file of Grace Murray, a teacher who applied for a post in the WAAC. Although she served in France, she had a severe attack of influenza and had to return to Scotland. There was a shortage of trained teachers at home and during her sick leave the local education authority sought her discharge .

 

 

Why can't I find an entry?

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Continuing your research

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War Diaries for the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps give a daily account of arrivals, departures, promotions, inspections and any disciplinary matters. If you are searching for a Controller or Administrator the diaries might mention her by name - see our guide to the First World War diaries you can find in DocumentsOnline. You can now download the two QMAAC diaries, in WO 95/84 and WO 95/85.

You can use the World War One medals search form to see if a woman serving in the WAAC was awarded any campaign medals. To learn about World War One campaign medals please read this information page.

You can search the service records of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF).

There are also original documents which you can see at The National Archives.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission compiles the online 'Debt of Honour Register' which includes women of the Commonwealth forces who died in two world wars. You can search their database at no charge.

Whether you are researching your family history, the First World War or women's history, The National Archives bookshop will have a book for you:

Research guides and further information

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Volunteers leaving for duty (Cat ref NATS 1/1307)

Women's Services, First World War offers an introduction to researching service, administrative and awards records, including the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) and the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF).

If you want to search for records about the medals awarded start with the Medal Card Index. The only gallantry medal issued to women in the First World War was the Military Medal. The research guide British Armed Services: Gallantry Medals explains how to search for the records relating to this award. You can also browse the full A to Z index of research guides.

There is a National Archives online exhibition about the First World War. It highlights significant events and examines the war experiences of different people through surviving documents.

You can compare today's prices compares with yesterday's prices using the National Archives online currency converter

The Family Records website hosts an online exhibition, Women in Uniform which examines the role of women in wartime.

The Learning Curve (resources for schools) features a clip from around 1918, taken from a compilation film of WAAC members in France, maintaining or possibly repairing an engine. The Learning Curve also features a short film of women making munitions. This film was shot in 1914 and you can see it in the online Film Archive.

The complete survey and listing of National Archives sources relating to women is in Women's Studies Resources in the National Archives

The Imperial War Museum holds an extensive archive including film and video and the Moving History website features a WAAC recruitment film from this collection. 'Life of a WAAC' was made by the Ministry of Information in 1918.

The National Army Museum holds an archive, including personal papers and photographs, and hosts the online exhibition WAACs At War

The Women's Library holds the most extensive collection of women's history in the UK.

Genesis is a database for locating women's history collections from libraries, archives and museums across the British Isles.