Showing posts with label services. Show all posts
Showing posts with label services. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Saturday, July 25, 2020
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
NSA - National Service Act
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Conscripts and Conscientious Objectors of WW2 - WW2 Special > .39-40 Conscription
On 29 March 1939, the Secretary of State for War announced that the Territorial Army was to be increased in establishment from 130,000 to 170,000, and then doubled in numbers. Each of the existing first line Territorial Army units and formations were required to form duplicate (or second line) units and formations. Although the personnel came forward, equipment for them was scarce.
Conscription was introduced on 27 April 1939 for the first time in British peacetime history. The Military Training Act required all males to serve in the Armed Forces for six months on reaching their twentieth birthday. On completion of six months service, the conscripts were required to serve in the Territorial Army or Special Reserve. This measure had only just been instituted by the outbreak of war, with only one intake of 35,000 men called up on 15 July.
39-08-24 Mobilisation .
Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, and in consequence, in accordance with Polish-British Common Defence Pact, the United Kingdom declared war on Germany with effect from 3 September 1939. The British Army had started mobilizing on 1 September, but was woefully ill-equipped and ill-prepared for war. Much of the strategy, tactics and equipment dated from the Great War. The first elements of the British Expeditionary Force left for France on 3 September 1939, just over twenty-five years since its predecessor had crossed the English Channel bound for war.
Prior:
At the dawn of 1939, the likelihood of another European war was growing ever greater. Germany had invaded, and then annexed, Austria in March 1938. In October that year, contrary to the Munich agreement, German troops occupied the Sudetenland which was part of Czechoslovakia.
In March 1939, Germany occupied the whole of Czechoslovakia, and war seemed inevitable. H.M. Government began to change its policy of appeasement, and full-scale rearmament of the British Armed Forces commenced (although it can be argued that some form of re-armament commenced in the mid-1930's, contrary to popular belief). Plans were drawn up for the British Army to send an expeditionary force of two corps (each comprising two infantry divisions) to France at the outbreak of war. This was in anticipation of defending France in a similar manner to the circumstances of the Great War.
http://www.britishmilitaryhistory.co.uk/documents.php?nid=2 .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service_(Armed_Forces)_Act_1939
http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/yourcountry/overview/conscriptionww2/
http://spartacus-educational.com/Lnational1941.htm .
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Women in Wartime
1939-45 [Australia at War - Women's Status Changes] - Free > .
Women
Historians highlight the importance of women to the war effort, showing that a vast number of women were involved at this time with the development of technology. There were indeed more women employed in this area than men. Penny Summerfield showed the growing importance of women in WW2. Women's roles can be contextualised within the wider study of military planning. Large factories for building aeroplanes were established across the country, and they were staffed by women. Furthermore, the increased role of women workers was highlighted by the Ministry of Information which, in its short movies, showed women working in the factories. This was an essential propaganda tool, and further demonstrates the vital position of women workers in the war effort.
WW2 : British Women's Contribution To The War Effort - 1940's Educational Film - S88TV1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=513ZN8MzNcU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLfzhyzk3_g > .
https://vimeo.com/39692006
Women in the Military - watm >> .
WW2 - Jam & Jerusalem
https://youtu.be/SLNuQNyeYh0?t=27m5s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denman_College
Women in War-time
An upbeat overview of British Women’s contribution to the war effort in both military and civilian capacities, featuring a speech by Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother).
http://film.britishcouncil.org/british-council-film-collection .
http://film.britishcouncil.org/women-in-war-time .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=513ZN8MzNcU .
Girls' & Women's services
ATA, WAAF
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL745-VcJ1xdVqZPWaS2vw1Wi-Kkitq0zL
ATS
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL745-VcJ1xdVNXCDVGvVG9LiIuuJvqySR
GTC - GTC, GNTC, WJAC
WAAF, ATA
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL745-VcJ1xdVqZPWaS2vw1Wi-Kkitq0zL
WRNS - Wrens
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL745-VcJ1xdUDNdlKmmXR8jiQ-wPG-3OC .
The women of the Second World War .
Australian women in WW2
https://reviews.history.ac.uk/review/1114 .
"Many women served with the Women's Auxiliary Fire Service, the Women's Auxiliary Police Corps and in the Air Raid Precautions (later Civil Defence) services. Others did voluntary welfare work with Women's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence and the Salvation Army.
Women were "drafted" in the sense that they were conscripted into war work by the Ministry of Labour, including non-combat jobs in the military, such as the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS or "Wrens"), the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF or "Waffs") and the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Auxiliary services such as the Air Transport Auxiliary also recruited women.
In the early stages of the war such services relied exclusively on volunteers, however by 1941 conscription was extended to women for the first time in British history and around 600,000 women were recruited into these three organizations.
In December 1941 the government passed the National Service Act (No 2), which made provision for the conscription of women. At first only childless widows and single women 20 to 30 years old were called up, but later the age limit was expanded to 19 to 43 (50 for WWI veterans).
British women were not drafted into combat units, but could volunteer for combat duty in anti-aircraft units, which shot down German planes and V-1 missiles.
The WRNS, having been disbanded at the end of WWI, were reformed in April 1939. WRNS were posted to every home and overseas naval unit. There were 72,000 serving WRNS in 1945. Another service disbanded after WW1 was the WAAC, they were reformed as the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and totalled over 190,000. Other military organisations included Women in Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), originally formed in 1907.
Times had moved on and along with, still vital, clerical and domestic duties, women were driving and maintaining vehicles, manning anti-aircraft guns and RADAR stations, ferrying aircraft from factories to airfields, deciphering coded German messages in secret naval communications units and working as spies in the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Civilian women joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE), which used them in high-danger roles as secret agents and underground radio operators in Nazi occupied Europe.
As part of the conscription requirement women had to chose whether to enter the armed forces or work in farming or industry. By December 1943 one in three factory workers was female and they were building planes, tanks, guns and making bullets needed for the war.
One civilian choice open to women was to join The Women's Land Army, set up in June 1939. At its peak in 1943, there were over 80,000 'Land Girls'. The women undertook hard farm work including ploughing, turning hay, lifting potatoes, threshing, lambing and poultry management. Six thousand women worked in the Timber Corps, felling trees and running sawmills.
As The Women’s Land Army was not a military force many women did not wear the uniform of green jersey, brown breeches, brown felt hat and khaki overcoat.
Another organisation that women could join was the Women's Voluntary Services For Air Raid Precaution (WVS), set up in June 1938. Initially their main duties were evacuation and making medical supplies, bandages (made from old sheets), nursing gowns and pyjamas. February 1939 brought about a name change to the Women's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence. The type of work they undertook broadened to include, salvage and old bone collection, harvesting of rosehips, running rest and mobile canteen services, providing temporary accommodation for those people whose homes were destroyed during air raids and organising talks on such issues as 'Make do and Mend' and avoiding the ‘Squander Bug’.
Women were also recruited to work on the canals, transporting coal and munitions by barge across the UK via the inland waterways. These became known as the 'Idle Women', initially an insult derived from the initials IW, standing for Inland Waterways, which they wore on their badges, but the term was soon adopted by the women themselves.
Britain underwent a labour shortage where an estimated 1.5 million people were needed for the armed forces, and an additional 775,000 for munitions and other services in 1942. It was during this ‘labour famine’ that propaganda aimed to induce people to join the labour force and do their bit in the war. Women were the target audience in the various forms of propaganda because they were paid substantially less than men. It was of no concern whether women were filling the same jobs that men previously held. Even if women were replacing jobs with the same skill level as a man, they were still paid significantly less due to their gender. In the engineering industry alone, the number of skilled and semi-skilled female workers increased from 75 per cent to 85 per cent from 1940-1942.According to Gazeley, even though women were paid less than men, it is clear that women engaging in war work and taking on jobs preserved by men reduced industrial segregation.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/womeninuniform/wwii_intro.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_World_War_II#United_Kingdom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_front
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Fire_Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Raid_Precautions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Defence_Corps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Voluntary_Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Royal_Naval_Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Auxiliary_Air_Force
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Territorial_Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transport_Auxiliary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_Executive Women's Land Army
https://plus.google.com/+antharch/posts/abnfNNTFr9s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army
Progress, Reversal - Women in WW1 ..
"Many women served with the Women's Auxiliary Fire Service, the Women's Auxiliary Police Corps and in the Air Raid Precautions (later Civil Defence) services. Others did voluntary welfare work with Women's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence and the Salvation Army.
Women were "drafted" in the sense that they were conscripted into war work by the Ministry of Labour, including non-combat jobs in the military, such as the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS or "Wrens"), the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF or "Waffs") and the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Auxiliary services such as the Air Transport Auxiliary also recruited women.
In the early stages of the war such services relied exclusively on volunteers, however by 1941 conscription was extended to women for the first time in British history and around 600,000 women were recruited into these three organizations.
In December 1941 the government passed the National Service Act (No 2), which made provision for the conscription of women. At first only childless widows and single women 20 to 30 years old were called up, but later the age limit was expanded to 19 to 43 (50 for WWI veterans).
British women were not drafted into combat units, but could volunteer for combat duty in anti-aircraft units, which shot down German planes and V-1 missiles.
The WRNS, having been disbanded at the end of WWI, were reformed in April 1939. WRNS were posted to every home and overseas naval unit. There were 72,000 serving WRNS in 1945. Another service disbanded after WW1 was the WAAC, they were reformed as the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and totalled over 190,000. Other military organisations included Women in Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY), originally formed in 1907.
Times had moved on and along with, still vital, clerical and domestic duties, women were driving and maintaining vehicles, manning anti-aircraft guns and RADAR stations, ferrying aircraft from factories to airfields, deciphering coded German messages in secret naval communications units and working as spies in the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
Civilian women joined the Special Operations Executive (SOE), which used them in high-danger roles as secret agents and underground radio operators in Nazi occupied Europe.
As part of the conscription requirement women had to chose whether to enter the armed forces or work in farming or industry. By December 1943 one in three factory workers was female and they were building planes, tanks, guns and making bullets needed for the war.
One civilian choice open to women was to join The Women's Land Army, set up in June 1939. At its peak in 1943, there were over 80,000 'Land Girls'. The women undertook hard farm work including ploughing, turning hay, lifting potatoes, threshing, lambing and poultry management. Six thousand women worked in the Timber Corps, felling trees and running sawmills.
As The Women’s Land Army was not a military force many women did not wear the uniform of green jersey, brown breeches, brown felt hat and khaki overcoat.
Another organisation that women could join was the Women's Voluntary Services For Air Raid Precaution (WVS), set up in June 1938. Initially their main duties were evacuation and making medical supplies, bandages (made from old sheets), nursing gowns and pyjamas. February 1939 brought about a name change to the Women's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence. The type of work they undertook broadened to include, salvage and old bone collection, harvesting of rosehips, running rest and mobile canteen services, providing temporary accommodation for those people whose homes were destroyed during air raids and organising talks on such issues as 'Make do and Mend' and avoiding the ‘Squander Bug’.
Women were also recruited to work on the canals, transporting coal and munitions by barge across the UK via the inland waterways. These became known as the 'Idle Women', initially an insult derived from the initials IW, standing for Inland Waterways, which they wore on their badges, but the term was soon adopted by the women themselves.
Britain underwent a labour shortage where an estimated 1.5 million people were needed for the armed forces, and an additional 775,000 for munitions and other services in 1942. It was during this ‘labour famine’ that propaganda aimed to induce people to join the labour force and do their bit in the war. Women were the target audience in the various forms of propaganda because they were paid substantially less than men. It was of no concern whether women were filling the same jobs that men previously held. Even if women were replacing jobs with the same skill level as a man, they were still paid significantly less due to their gender. In the engineering industry alone, the number of skilled and semi-skilled female workers increased from 75 per cent to 85 per cent from 1940-1942.According to Gazeley, even though women were paid less than men, it is clear that women engaging in war work and taking on jobs preserved by men reduced industrial segregation.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/womeninuniform/wwii_intro.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_World_War_II#United_Kingdom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_front
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Fire_Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Raid_Precautions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Defence_Corps
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Voluntary_Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Royal_Naval_Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Auxiliary_Air_Force
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Territorial_Service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Transport_Auxiliary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_Executive Women's Land Army
https://plus.google.com/+antharch/posts/abnfNNTFr9s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army
Progress, Reversal - Women in WW1 ..
Women in Wartime ..
Women WW1 ..
WW2 : British Women's Contribution To The War Effort - 1940's Educational Film - S88TV1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=513ZN8MzNcU
https://vimeo.com/39692006
Women in the Military - watm >> .
WW2 - Jam & Jerusalem
https://youtu.be/SLNuQNyeYh0?t=27m5s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denman_College
Women in War-time
An upbeat overview of British Women’s contribution to the war effort in both military and civilian capacities, featuring a speech by Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother).
http://film.britishcouncil.org/british-council-film-collection .
http://film.britishcouncil.org/women-in-war-time .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=513ZN8MzNcU .
Girls' & Women's services
ATA, WAAF
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL745-VcJ1xdVqZPWaS2vw1Wi-Kkitq0zL
ATS
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL745-VcJ1xdVNXCDVGvVG9LiIuuJvqySR
GTC - GTC, GNTC, WJAC
WAAF, ATA
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL745-VcJ1xdVqZPWaS2vw1Wi-Kkitq0zL
WRNS - Wrens
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL745-VcJ1xdUDNdlKmmXR8jiQ-wPG-3OC .
The women of the Second World War .
Australian women in WW2
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Filter Room - Fighter Command
How RAF Prepared For Luftwaffe's Offensive | Battle Of Britain | Timeline > .
Filter Room - Eileen Younghusband > .
Boffins Beat Belligerents - tb >> .
40-8-13 Adlertag > . Fighter Command infighting - Trafford Leigh-Mallory vs Dowding, Park > .
Big Ego versus Dowding; nightfighters > .
Filter Room
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/battle-of-britain/11865303/The-Battle-of-Britain-as-it-happened-on-September-15-1940-live.html .
Boffins Beat Belligerents - tb >> .
40-8-13 Adlertag > . Fighter Command infighting - Trafford Leigh-Mallory vs Dowding, Park > .
Big Ego versus Dowding; nightfighters > .
Filter Room
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/battle-of-britain/11865303/The-Battle-of-Britain-as-it-happened-on-September-15-1940-live.html .
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Old War Office Building
Old War Office Building
During the 1920s and 1930s, British civil servants and politicians, looking back at the performance of the state during World War I, concluded that there was a need for greater co-ordination between the three Services that made up the armed forces of the United Kingdom—the British Army, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force. The formation of a united ministry of defence was rejected by David Lloyd George's coalition government in 1921; but the Chiefs of Staff Committee was formed in 1923, for the purposes of inter-Service co-ordination. As rearmament became a concern during the 1930s, Stanley Baldwin created the position of Minister for Coordination of Defence. Lord Chatfield held the post until the fall of Neville Chamberlain's government in 1940; his success was limited by his lack of control over the existing Service departments and his limited political influence.
Old War Office Building
Winston Churchill, on forming his government in (May) 1940, created the office of Minister of Defence to exercise ministerial control over the Chiefs of Staff Committee and to co-ordinate defence matters. The post was held by the Prime Minister of the day until Clement Attlee's government introduced the Ministry of Defence Act of 1946. The new ministry was headed by a Minister of Defence who possessed a seat in the Cabinet. The three existing service Ministers—the Secretary of State for War, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the Secretary of State for Air—remained in direct operational control of their respective services, but ceased to attend Cabinet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_for_Co-ordination_of_Defence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Inskip,_1st_Viscount_Caldecote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sea_Lord
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernle_Chatfield,_1st_Baron_Chatfield .
During the 1920s and 1930s, British civil servants and politicians, looking back at the performance of the state during World War I, concluded that there was a need for greater co-ordination between the three Services that made up the armed forces of the United Kingdom—the British Army, the Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force. The formation of a united ministry of defence was rejected by David Lloyd George's coalition government in 1921; but the Chiefs of Staff Committee was formed in 1923, for the purposes of inter-Service co-ordination. As rearmament became a concern during the 1930s, Stanley Baldwin created the position of Minister for Coordination of Defence. Lord Chatfield held the post until the fall of Neville Chamberlain's government in 1940; his success was limited by his lack of control over the existing Service departments and his limited political influence.
Old War Office Building
Winston Churchill, on forming his government in (May) 1940, created the office of Minister of Defence to exercise ministerial control over the Chiefs of Staff Committee and to co-ordinate defence matters. The post was held by the Prime Minister of the day until Clement Attlee's government introduced the Ministry of Defence Act of 1946. The new ministry was headed by a Minister of Defence who possessed a seat in the Cabinet. The three existing service Ministers—the Secretary of State for War, the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the Secretary of State for Air—remained in direct operational control of their respective services, but ceased to attend Cabinet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_for_Co-ordination_of_Defence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Inskip,_1st_Viscount_Caldecote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Sea_Lord
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernle_Chatfield,_1st_Baron_Chatfield .
Saturday, July 6, 2019
WarAg - Farming in Britain During WW2
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24-8-25 British War Agriculture - Farming Explained > .
WW2 Farming in Britain During the Second World War
WAEC - War Agricultural Executive Committees ..
Wartime Farm ..
Wartime Farm '39 ..
Wartime Farm '40 ..
Wartime Farm '41 ..
Wartime Farm '42 ..
Wartime Farm '43 ..
Wartime Farm '44 ..
Wartime Farm '45 ..
WAEC - War Agricultural Executive Committees ..
The farming industry in Britain during the Second World War underwent a complete upheaval. It was necessary for the government to control what farmers grew or what livestock they kept to ensure maximum productivity from the land. ...
DORA - Defence of the Realm Act, 1914 ..
DORA - Defence of the Realm Act, 1914 ..
Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 ..
Under the Defence of The Realm Act (DORA, 1914) which was passed just before the outbreak of hostilities, the Ministry of Agriculture had the power to: Preserve and maintain agricultural land solely for the production of food, to control by order, the cultivation, management and use of land in order to secure maximum production of food from the farms; to terminate any tenancy of agricultural land where it is considered that the land is being neglected or badly cultivated; to introduce special measures for the determination of birds, rabbits, deer, vermin and pests
The Ministry now had much more power to meet the demands of a hungry populace that would soon have to rely on food that was largely home produced, as was forecast, quite accurately that importation of food would decline. Many of the farmers who had to produce this food had to change their methods of farming. They had to produce in greater quantities food that was rich in carbohydrates such as potatoes, or foodstuffs that were too bulky or fragile that would not take up valuable shipping space, so as not to rely too heavily on importation.
Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 ..
With reference to the title of this Special Study, like the Great War the Second World War was a time of affluence for many farmers, particularly in the arable districts of England. For example, prices of wheat in 1939 per cwt for England and Wales were 5 shillings, by 1945 this had almost tripled to 14s 5d. Barley in the same period rose from 8s 10d to 24s 5d, and oats rose from 6s 11d to 16s 5d. farmers were heavily subsidised by the Ministry of Food, who bought goods from farmers at higher rates, whilst selling them to the public at lower rates, the shortfall being made up by the Treasury. Crops such as wheat however, were acquired by the government cheaper than in times of peace. This system was , on 26th November 1940 confirmed to stay in place whilst hostilities were taking place and for one year after they ended.
Government policy was critical in ensuring an increase in productivity. Like the First World War, War Agricultural Executive Committees There were eventually sixty-one committees established in England and Wales, which came to be known as ‘War Ags’. The members of the War Ags included local farmers, members of the Women’s Institute and had the power to take farms away from farmers who were considered to be farming inefficiently. They also had to ensure the government policy of ploughing up more land was implemented. The War Ags had the power to tell people which fields were cultivated and had a pool of labour and machinery to work the land themselves. They also encouraged more modernisation, which resulted in more efficiency and greater production.
Livestock
The importation of feedstuffs was reduced by problems in shipping. This did not prevent the encouragement of higher yields in dairy cows. More small scale farmers began to produce milk, premium payments were given to the first 1514 litres of milk produced per month. Other small scale production of livestock was encouraged with the introduction of Pig Clubs and Poultry Clubs. Domestic poultry keepers did not have restrictions placed upon them like large-scale producers, who faced rationing controls. The Small Pig Keepers Council, an organisation founded by the Ministry of Agriculture encouraged anyone with space to keep a pig and feed it on household waste. There is little evidence to suggest that these smallholders and people in towns were ever an economic threat to full-time farmers, but whilst the war was taking place, helped to supplement a diet that was rationed.
Hill farmers were dealt with separately for the first time. In 1940 subsidies were paid at the equivalent of 12.5p per head per hill ewe, by 1942 this had risen to 40p. A committee was formed in 1941-1942 for England and Wales to review the long term future of hill farming, a minimum of four hundred ewes was required for full-time status.
Farm Workers
The government had the foresight to ensure that farmworkers were not as scarce as they had been in the First World War. This was achieved by farming being declared a reserved occupation, if any male farm worker wanted to join the forces or have an alternative occupation, i.e. construction, a replacement had to be found before he was allowed to leave his job on the farm. This came under the Restrictions of Engagements order in June 1940. Martin claims that anyone who wanted to leave agriculture for the forces or another occupation would have done so, as the war was nine months old when this order became effective. Howkins states that an estimated fifty thousand farm workers were lost to the armed forces prior to the Restrictions of Engagements Order. The total number of farm workers in 1939 (seasonal, part and full-time) were six hundred and seven thousand (607,00) in England and Wales, for 1940 the number had risen to six hundred and eight thousand (608,000).By 1945 the number had increased to seven hundred and seventy thousand (770,000). This was due to the recruitment campaign by the government to organisations such as the Women’s Land Army. This had varied success, in England some encountered sexism, and many were appalled at the conditions they were expected to work and live in. Sackville West, cited in The People's War states that women nearly equalled the abilities of their male counterparts in tasks such as milking, turning hay and lifting peas, but other more demanding tasks it required three women to take the place of two men.
The unemployed from the towns and cities were also put to work on farms, as were conscientious objectors. Prisoners-of-War also took part, by 1945 there were 57,763 working on farms in England and Wales, the obvious advantage being that they did not need paying, the incentive to them being a healthier and more stimulating environment than being stuck behind the barbed wire for the duration of the war.
Wages, always an issue with farmworkers, were increased as the value of farm work was recognised by the government as being essential to the war effort, a good wage being an incentive to stay on farms. Estimated wages in 1940/1941 for the basic wage of an adult male were 48sh 5d per week in England and Wales, by 1944/1945 this had increased to over 67 shillings. Due to the security felt by farmworkers because of the shortage of skilled manpower, union membership of the National Union of Farmworkers rose to 100,000, triple what it had been prior to the war.
Machinery
More tractors and modern implements were as essential to the increased productivity of the land as the farmworkers mentioned above. The horse began to fall out of favour as there was more land cultivation to be undertaken, but the decline was not rapid, there being over six hundred thousand (>600,000) in the whole of Great Britian in 1938. In 1946 this had fallen to just over five hundred thousand (>500,000). The tractor, faster than the horse and becoming more reliable was still outnumbered by the horse, there being around one hundred thousand in England and Wales in 1940 (100,000). This was a considerable increase considering there were only around fifty six thousand in Great Britain in 1939 (56,000). Many farmers were saved the cost of buying a tractor because of the help offered by the War Agricultural Executive Committees mentioned previously. Farmers had priority in the allocation of machinery, this would not have happened if it had not been for the war, the provision of machinery was a great help in modernising farming in England.
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To conclude, the Second World War was a turning point in English agriculture. Through government intervention of the way farmers cultivated their land and subsidised pricing, agriculture became more productive. The agricultural industry was also fortunate to receive a priority in machinery allocation, a godsend for farmers wishing to modernise. This was essential due to the threat to merchant shipping during the Battle of the Atlantic, shipping space also being in short supply. Farmworkers benefited enormously, their efforts being recognised as valuable to the well being of the country. Government policy worked with notable success, the Women’s Land Army making a significant contribution, as did Prisoners-of-War. Without the preparations for increased production, the country would have been, without doubt, short of food. Also like the First World War, farmers were able to make a comfortable living in most cases, and although rationing was in place for most of the war, farmers were able to access food much more easily than people living in urban England.
http://oldecuriosity.blogspot.ca/2015/02/ww2-farming-in-britain-during-second.html .
Compost, chickens, soil, vermiculture - tb >> .
Agriculture ..
WarAg - Farming in Britain During WW2 ..Under the Defence of The Realm Act (DORA, 1914) which was passed just before the outbreak of hostilities, the Ministry of Agriculture had the power to: Preserve and maintain agricultural land solely for the production of food, to control by order, the cultivation, management and use of land in order to secure maximum production of food from the farms; to terminate any tenancy of agricultural land where it is considered that the land is being neglected or badly cultivated; to introduce special measures for the determination of birds, rabbits, deer, vermin and pests
The Ministry now had much more power to meet the demands of a hungry populace that would soon have to rely on food that was largely home produced, as was forecast, quite accurately that importation of food would decline. Many of the farmers who had to produce this food had to change their methods of farming. They had to produce in greater quantities food that was rich in carbohydrates such as potatoes, or foodstuffs that were too bulky or fragile that would not take up valuable shipping space, so as not to rely too heavily on importation.
Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 ..
With reference to the title of this Special Study, like the Great War the Second World War was a time of affluence for many farmers, particularly in the arable districts of England. For example, prices of wheat in 1939 per cwt for England and Wales were 5 shillings, by 1945 this had almost tripled to 14s 5d. Barley in the same period rose from 8s 10d to 24s 5d, and oats rose from 6s 11d to 16s 5d. farmers were heavily subsidised by the Ministry of Food, who bought goods from farmers at higher rates, whilst selling them to the public at lower rates, the shortfall being made up by the Treasury. Crops such as wheat however, were acquired by the government cheaper than in times of peace. This system was , on 26th November 1940 confirmed to stay in place whilst hostilities were taking place and for one year after they ended.
Government policy was critical in ensuring an increase in productivity. Like the First World War, War Agricultural Executive Committees There were eventually sixty-one committees established in England and Wales, which came to be known as ‘War Ags’. The members of the War Ags included local farmers, members of the Women’s Institute and had the power to take farms away from farmers who were considered to be farming inefficiently. They also had to ensure the government policy of ploughing up more land was implemented. The War Ags had the power to tell people which fields were cultivated and had a pool of labour and machinery to work the land themselves. They also encouraged more modernisation, which resulted in more efficiency and greater production.
Livestock
The importation of feedstuffs was reduced by problems in shipping. This did not prevent the encouragement of higher yields in dairy cows. More small scale farmers began to produce milk, premium payments were given to the first 1514 litres of milk produced per month. Other small scale production of livestock was encouraged with the introduction of Pig Clubs and Poultry Clubs. Domestic poultry keepers did not have restrictions placed upon them like large-scale producers, who faced rationing controls. The Small Pig Keepers Council, an organisation founded by the Ministry of Agriculture encouraged anyone with space to keep a pig and feed it on household waste. There is little evidence to suggest that these smallholders and people in towns were ever an economic threat to full-time farmers, but whilst the war was taking place, helped to supplement a diet that was rationed.
Hill farmers were dealt with separately for the first time. In 1940 subsidies were paid at the equivalent of 12.5p per head per hill ewe, by 1942 this had risen to 40p. A committee was formed in 1941-1942 for England and Wales to review the long term future of hill farming, a minimum of four hundred ewes was required for full-time status.
Farm Workers
The government had the foresight to ensure that farmworkers were not as scarce as they had been in the First World War. This was achieved by farming being declared a reserved occupation, if any male farm worker wanted to join the forces or have an alternative occupation, i.e. construction, a replacement had to be found before he was allowed to leave his job on the farm. This came under the Restrictions of Engagements order in June 1940. Martin claims that anyone who wanted to leave agriculture for the forces or another occupation would have done so, as the war was nine months old when this order became effective. Howkins states that an estimated fifty thousand farm workers were lost to the armed forces prior to the Restrictions of Engagements Order. The total number of farm workers in 1939 (seasonal, part and full-time) were six hundred and seven thousand (607,00) in England and Wales, for 1940 the number had risen to six hundred and eight thousand (608,000).By 1945 the number had increased to seven hundred and seventy thousand (770,000). This was due to the recruitment campaign by the government to organisations such as the Women’s Land Army. This had varied success, in England some encountered sexism, and many were appalled at the conditions they were expected to work and live in. Sackville West, cited in The People's War states that women nearly equalled the abilities of their male counterparts in tasks such as milking, turning hay and lifting peas, but other more demanding tasks it required three women to take the place of two men.
The unemployed from the towns and cities were also put to work on farms, as were conscientious objectors. Prisoners-of-War also took part, by 1945 there were 57,763 working on farms in England and Wales, the obvious advantage being that they did not need paying, the incentive to them being a healthier and more stimulating environment than being stuck behind the barbed wire for the duration of the war.
Wages, always an issue with farmworkers, were increased as the value of farm work was recognised by the government as being essential to the war effort, a good wage being an incentive to stay on farms. Estimated wages in 1940/1941 for the basic wage of an adult male were 48sh 5d per week in England and Wales, by 1944/1945 this had increased to over 67 shillings. Due to the security felt by farmworkers because of the shortage of skilled manpower, union membership of the National Union of Farmworkers rose to 100,000, triple what it had been prior to the war.
Machinery
More tractors and modern implements were as essential to the increased productivity of the land as the farmworkers mentioned above. The horse began to fall out of favour as there was more land cultivation to be undertaken, but the decline was not rapid, there being over six hundred thousand (>600,000) in the whole of Great Britian in 1938. In 1946 this had fallen to just over five hundred thousand (>500,000). The tractor, faster than the horse and becoming more reliable was still outnumbered by the horse, there being around one hundred thousand in England and Wales in 1940 (100,000). This was a considerable increase considering there were only around fifty six thousand in Great Britain in 1939 (56,000). Many farmers were saved the cost of buying a tractor because of the help offered by the War Agricultural Executive Committees mentioned previously. Farmers had priority in the allocation of machinery, this would not have happened if it had not been for the war, the provision of machinery was a great help in modernising farming in England.
.
To conclude, the Second World War was a turning point in English agriculture. Through government intervention of the way farmers cultivated their land and subsidised pricing, agriculture became more productive. The agricultural industry was also fortunate to receive a priority in machinery allocation, a godsend for farmers wishing to modernise. This was essential due to the threat to merchant shipping during the Battle of the Atlantic, shipping space also being in short supply. Farmworkers benefited enormously, their efforts being recognised as valuable to the well being of the country. Government policy worked with notable success, the Women’s Land Army making a significant contribution, as did Prisoners-of-War. Without the preparations for increased production, the country would have been, without doubt, short of food. Also like the First World War, farmers were able to make a comfortable living in most cases, and although rationing was in place for most of the war, farmers were able to access food much more easily than people living in urban England.
http://oldecuriosity.blogspot.ca/2015/02/ww2-farming-in-britain-during-second.html .
Compost, chickens, soil, vermiculture - tb >> .
Agriculture ..
Wartime Farm '39 ..
Wartime Farm '40 ..
Wartime Farm '41 ..
Wartime Farm '42 ..
Wartime Farm '43 ..
Wartime Farm '44 ..
Wartime Farm '45 ..
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
William Donovan (OSS Director)
OSS - Spy Training - House search > .
? https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Bill+Donovan+OSS ?
USA: William Donovan (OSS Director)
“Even a regimented press will again and again betray their nation’s interests to a painstaking observer”
It was Donovan’s connection to F.D.R. that lead to the creation of an intelligence agency in the United States. Until that time, the world of intelligence and spying was seen as ungentlemanly by America. Donovan lobbied F.D.R to formalise his unofficial work for the US Government and on the 11th July, 1941, F.D.R. created for Donovan the post ‘Coordinator of Information’. After Pearl Harbour, the need for intelligence was clear and Donovan’s department was renamed the Office of Strategic Services – the precursor to the CIA. Like the Special Operations Executive in the UK, the OSS was involved in everything from assassination attempts to agent running and information warfare.
“Even a regimented press will again and again betray their nation’s interests to a painstaking observer”
The OSS poured over obituaries in German regional newspapers, seeking news of important Nazis. Images of new battleships, bomb craters and aircraft were painstakingly collated, and when assessed together, allowed the OSS to assess the state of its enemies. It’s striking how similar the OSS’ activities are to modern day OSINT investigations, albeit without computers. From the OSS and SOE, it’s possible to argue the roots of open source intelligence stretch back almost a century. Indeed one could argue Donvoan’s quote is more true today than ever; amongst the billions of posts, uploads, shares and likes, individuals again and again betray their interests to painstaking observers.
USA: William Donovan (OSS Director)
“Even a regimented press will again and again betray their nation’s interests to a painstaking observer”
It was Donovan’s connection to F.D.R. that lead to the creation of an intelligence agency in the United States. Until that time, the world of intelligence and spying was seen as ungentlemanly by America. Donovan lobbied F.D.R to formalise his unofficial work for the US Government and on the 11th July, 1941, F.D.R. created for Donovan the post ‘Coordinator of Information’. After Pearl Harbour, the need for intelligence was clear and Donovan’s department was renamed the Office of Strategic Services – the precursor to the CIA. Like the Special Operations Executive in the UK, the OSS was involved in everything from assassination attempts to agent running and information warfare.
“Even a regimented press will again and again betray their nation’s interests to a painstaking observer”
The OSS poured over obituaries in German regional newspapers, seeking news of important Nazis. Images of new battleships, bomb craters and aircraft were painstakingly collated, and when assessed together, allowed the OSS to assess the state of its enemies. It’s striking how similar the OSS’ activities are to modern day OSINT investigations, albeit without computers. From the OSS and SOE, it’s possible to argue the roots of open source intelligence stretch back almost a century. Indeed one could argue Donvoan’s quote is more true today than ever; amongst the billions of posts, uploads, shares and likes, individuals again and again betray their interests to painstaking observers.
Denman - Trudie, Baroness Denman
Gertrude Mary Denman, Baroness Denman, GBE (née Pearson; 7 November 1884 – 2 June 1954), sometimes known as Trudie, was a British woman active in women's rights issues including the promotion of Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom. She was also the wife of the 3rd Baron Denman, fifth Governor-General of Australia, and she officially named Australia's capital city Canberra in 1913 >.
In 1933 Lady Denman was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). She was advanced to Dame Grand Cross (GBE) in 1951. These entitled her to be known as Dame Gertrude Denman; however, as the wife of a peer, her existing title Lady Denman subsumed this.
During World War II she was Director of the Women's Land Army and Charmain of the Women's Institute.
She was the second child, and only daughter, of Weetman and Annie Pearson (later Viscount and Vicountess Cowdray). Her father was a successful businessman, initially in engineering, and later in the development of oilfields in Mexico, the production of munitions for the First World War, building the Sennar Dam on the River Nile, as well as coal mining and newspaper publishing. Weetman was a staunch Liberal who supported causes such as free trade, Irish Home Rule and women's suffrage. Trudie's mother, Annie Pearson (née Cass) was the daughter of a farmer from Bradford, Yorkshire. A woman of strong character, Annie Pearson was a feminist who was an active member of the executive of the Women's Liberal Federation.
At the age of sixteen, Trudie completed her formal education at a finishing school in Dresden.
1939-45 [Australia at War - Women's Status Changes] - Free > .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Denman,_Baroness_Denman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balcombe_Place
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balcombe_Place#Cowdray_Estate
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/95/a5825595.shtml
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-in-western-europe/britains-home-front-in-world-war-two/the-womens-land-army/
http://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/9554523.pdf .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Denman,_Baroness_Denman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balcombe_Place
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balcombe_Place#Cowdray_Estate
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/95/a5825595.shtml
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-two/world-war-two-in-western-europe/britains-home-front-in-world-war-two/the-womens-land-army/
http://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/9554523.pdf .
Monday, May 13, 2019
BNG - Battle of New Guinea
The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Australian-administered territories of the New Guinea Mandate (23 January) and Papua (8 March) and overran western New Guinea (beginning 29/30 March), which was a part of the Netherlands East Indies. During the second phase, lasting from late 1942 until the Japanese surrender, the Allies—consisting primarily of Australian and US forces—cleared the Japanese first from Papua, then the Mandate and finally from the Dutch colony.
The campaign resulted in a crushing defeat and heavy losses for the Empire of Japan. As in most Pacific War campaigns, disease and starvation claimed more Japanese lives than enemy action. Most Japanese troops never even came into contact with Allied forces, and were instead simply cut off and subjected to an effective blockade by the US Navy. Garrisons were effectively besieged and denied shipments of food and medical supplies, and as a result, some claim that 97% of Japanese deaths in this campaign were from non-combat causes.
According to John Laffin, the campaign "was arguably the most arduous fought by any Allied troops during World War II".
The campaign resulted in a crushing defeat and heavy losses for the Empire of Japan. As in most Pacific War campaigns, disease and starvation claimed more Japanese lives than enemy action. Most Japanese troops never even came into contact with Allied forces, and were instead simply cut off and subjected to an effective blockade by the US Navy. Garrisons were effectively besieged and denied shipments of food and medical supplies, and as a result, some claim that 97% of Japanese deaths in this campaign were from non-combat causes.
According to John Laffin, the campaign "was arguably the most arduous fought by any Allied troops during World War II".
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Prisoners of War
German Prisoners Of War (1945) > .
Allied Prisoners released 1945 > .
German POW's In Kensington Gardens (1946) > .
The Germans We Kept > .
Allied Prisoners released 1945 > .
German POW's In Kensington Gardens (1946) > .
The Germans We Kept > .
BEHIND THE IMAGE: captured Luftwaffe crewmen, London Underground, 1940
http://www.military-history.org/articles/behind-the-image-captured-luftwaffe-crewmen-london-underground-1940.htm
Luftwaffe Fighter-Bombers and Destroyers
https://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Bf-110/Messerschmitt-Bf-110.html
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Recruiting women
Recruiting women
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xej9VdybF40
Wrens - Royal Naval College Issue Title - How Time Flies! (1940)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQtPKzAQWEM
W.R.N.S. At The Helm (1944)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyGWgHuI0C0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xej9VdybF40
Wrens - Royal Naval College Issue Title - How Time Flies! (1940)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQtPKzAQWEM
W.R.N.S. At The Helm (1944)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyGWgHuI0C0
Monday, April 8, 2019
Upper Thames Patrol - LDV
Upper Thames Patrol - Lechlade to Teddington Locks
“Up The Pub” lot
From the very start there were units other than infantry units. Initially these were formed in an unregulated manner and mainly consisted of mounted units and waterborne units, one of the most famous of these being the Upper Thames Patrol.
http://www.home-guard.org.uk/hg/hgfaq.html#faq16
The Upper Thames Patrol guarded the navigable river Thames from Lechlade to Teddington Locks to include the riverbanks a mile and a half into the countryside and most of all to protect the bridges, locks and weirs from sabotage. In order to do this private launches and smaller vessels (with shallower draughts) were commandeered or offered by their owners for the duration. These craft were all numbered according to the area they were to patrol and were kitted out with fighting equipment. They of course had to defend themselves from the odd enemy fighter plane attack. Equally so the volunteers were trained and by the end of the war they were as qualified as any regular soldier. Some more so as they had to know how to handle their boats and operate the locks and weirs. Most of the men were in full employment on reserved occupational duties and were drawn form the farming industry and from factories such as MG and Morris. They had to do a minimum of 7 hours duty a week for which they received one shilling and sixpence (7.5 pence) barely enough to buy two pints of beer in 1940.
Crossing the Thames by bridge is essential when going North to South or vice versa. In terms of defence the protection and indeed destruction of the bridges was equally as important as when the tables turned and we were on the offensive. The Upper Thames patrol was in charge of blowing up the bridges, locks and opening the weirs as a means of defence in case of invasion. The idea being to flood the surrounding planes and therefore bog down any advancing mechanised invasion. Early in 1940 all bridges were heavily protected by cunning roadblock devices and had gun emplacements strategically positioned to counter any attack. Some of these structures are still visible today such as pillboxes and large concrete barriers.
Most Pubs near to the river were commandeered as Headquarters for the group and consequently they became known as the “Up The Pub” lot.
http://www.history-society.org/the-upper-thames-patrol/
“Up The Pub” lot
From the very start there were units other than infantry units. Initially these were formed in an unregulated manner and mainly consisted of mounted units and waterborne units, one of the most famous of these being the Upper Thames Patrol.
http://www.home-guard.org.uk/hg/hgfaq.html#faq16
The Upper Thames Patrol guarded the navigable river Thames from Lechlade to Teddington Locks to include the riverbanks a mile and a half into the countryside and most of all to protect the bridges, locks and weirs from sabotage. In order to do this private launches and smaller vessels (with shallower draughts) were commandeered or offered by their owners for the duration. These craft were all numbered according to the area they were to patrol and were kitted out with fighting equipment. They of course had to defend themselves from the odd enemy fighter plane attack. Equally so the volunteers were trained and by the end of the war they were as qualified as any regular soldier. Some more so as they had to know how to handle their boats and operate the locks and weirs. Most of the men were in full employment on reserved occupational duties and were drawn form the farming industry and from factories such as MG and Morris. They had to do a minimum of 7 hours duty a week for which they received one shilling and sixpence (7.5 pence) barely enough to buy two pints of beer in 1940.
Crossing the Thames by bridge is essential when going North to South or vice versa. In terms of defence the protection and indeed destruction of the bridges was equally as important as when the tables turned and we were on the offensive. The Upper Thames patrol was in charge of blowing up the bridges, locks and opening the weirs as a means of defence in case of invasion. The idea being to flood the surrounding planes and therefore bog down any advancing mechanised invasion. Early in 1940 all bridges were heavily protected by cunning roadblock devices and had gun emplacements strategically positioned to counter any attack. Some of these structures are still visible today such as pillboxes and large concrete barriers.
Most Pubs near to the river were commandeered as Headquarters for the group and consequently they became known as the “Up The Pub” lot.
http://www.history-society.org/the-upper-thames-patrol/
Monday, January 28, 2019
AAMWS - AWAS - AWLA - WAAAF - WRANS
ANZACs ..
Aussie women
Women's Transport Corps, Women's Flying Club, Women's Emergency Signalling Corps and Women's Australian National Services, Queensland-based Women's National Emergency Legion. The Royal Australian Air Force established the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) in March 1941, the Army formed the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) in October 1941 and the Australian Army Medical Women's Service (AAMWS) in December 1942, and the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) came into being in July 1942. In 1944 almost 50,000 women were serving in the military and thousands more had joined the civilian Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA). Many of these women were trained to undertake skilled work in traditionally male occupations in order to free servicemen for operational service. Women were also encouraged to work in industry and volunteer for air raid precautions duties or clubs for Australian and Allied servicemen. The female branches of the military were disbanded after the war.
Women in the Military - watm >> .
Aussie women
Women's Transport Corps, Women's Flying Club, Women's Emergency Signalling Corps and Women's Australian National Services, Queensland-based Women's National Emergency Legion. The Royal Australian Air Force established the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) in March 1941, the Army formed the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) in October 1941 and the Australian Army Medical Women's Service (AAMWS) in December 1942, and the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) came into being in July 1942. In 1944 almost 50,000 women were serving in the military and thousands more had joined the civilian Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA). Many of these women were trained to undertake skilled work in traditionally male occupations in order to free servicemen for operational service. Women were also encouraged to work in industry and volunteer for air raid precautions duties or clubs for Australian and Allied servicemen. The female branches of the military were disbanded after the war.
Women in the Military - watm >> .
ANZACs
1939-45 [Australia at War - Women's Status Changes] - Free > .
AAMWS - AWAS - AWLA - WAAAF - WRANS ..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Army_during_World_War_II .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Australia_during_World_War_II .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_on_Australia_during_World_War_II .
http://www.awmlondon.gov.au/australians-in-wwii .
https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/history/conflicts/australia-and-second-world-war .
https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia/World-War-II .
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/life-australia-world-war-two.html .
https://ww2db.com/country/australia .
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Brisbane .
Full History of Australia - Doc - FoL > .
ATA - Air Transport Auxiliary
ATA & Attagirls - tb >> .
I Was There - BBC >> .
A history of the A.T.A. > .
"Spitfire Sisters, women of the ATA" > .
The Air Transport Auxiliary - Spitfire Women Preview - BBC Four > .
Ferry Air Pilots & Mr Churchill At RAF Station (1941) > .
Training in ATA > .
WASPs > .
The Women Airforce Service Pilots - WASPs > .
Women in the RAF; School discipline, Woman's Hour - BBC Radio 4 .
I Was There - BBC >> .
A history of the A.T.A. > .
"Spitfire Sisters, women of the ATA" > .
The Air Transport Auxiliary - Spitfire Women Preview - BBC Four > .
Ferry Air Pilots & Mr Churchill At RAF Station (1941) > .
Training in ATA > .
WASPs > .
The Women Airforce Service Pilots - WASPs > .
Women in the RAF; School discipline, Woman's Hour - BBC Radio 4 .
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/29/mary-ellis-obituary .
Air Transport Auxiliary, ATA
Ferry Air Pilots & Mr Churchill At RAF Station (1941)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buZRWX9GvdY
In 1938, Sir Gerard John Regis Leo d'Erlanger, a member of a renowned banking family and an accomplished pilot, became convinced that Great Britain urgently needed the help of its amateur pilots to wage a war he saw coming.
When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, the plan was suddenly taken seriously. D’Erlanger was by then the director of British Airways, so the company was asked to oversee the initiative. Letters were sent to about 1,000 male pilots asking if they wanted to serve their country by ferrying airplanes. About 100 replies came back, and after interviews and flight tests, the first 30 men were picked that September for what became the Air Transport Auxiliary, or ATA (which d’Erlanger joked stood for Ancient and Tattered Airmen). But what was most unusual—even radical—was the decision two months later [December, '39?] to satisfy the increasing demand for ferry services by including female pilots. On December 16, 1939, the first group of twelve women pilots were assembled at Whitchurch, and flight-tested in a Gypsy Moth. From this group of twelve, eight were selected and appointed as Second Officers.
It was the first time in British history that women were hired to fly military aircraft.
Pauline Gower, daughter of a parliamentarian, Sir Robert Gower, was asked to organize the ATA’s women’s division. In January 1940, Gower was given the authority to recruit eight experienced female pilots to transport two-seat Tiger Moth trainers from the de Havilland factory in Hatfield, north of London, to bases in the United Kingdom. The team members came from a wide range of backgrounds: Rosemary Rees was a former ballet dancer; Mona Friedlander, an international ice hockey player; and Winifred Crossley, the daughter of a doctor. Marian Wilberface was a pilot with her own Gipsy Moth. Joan Hughes had been Britain’s youngest pilot; she started flying at 15, before age restrictions were established. Margaret Cunnison and Gabrielle Patterson were both flight instructors (the first woman to instruct, Patterson also was a member of the National Women’s Air Reserve, a group that provided aid in national emergencies).
Some of the later recruits, such as Diana Barnato Walker, came from privileged backgrounds. Heiress to the DeBeers mining fortune, Walker grew up riding horses and attending lavish parties hosted by her father, race-car driver Woolf Barnato.
One recruit, Molly Rose, had taken her first flight from her own back yard. One of her older brothers, Arthur, had learned to fly at Cambridge and used the fields behind their house to take off and land his Tiger Moth.
http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/the-womens-raf-118165440/?all&no-ist
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Gower
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3194754/The-female-Guns-World-War-II-Inside-RAF-s-woman-ferry-squadron-rubbed-shoulders-men-flew-Spitfires.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1219834/The-sisters-fly-Spitfires-WWII-reunited-iconic-aircraft.html
http://hitlernews.cloudworth.com/female-pilots-women-of-ww2.php
http://www.wickfordhistory.org.uk/page/ata_girl
Ferry Pilots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmc6INOwQ3U .
USA - WASPS:
Women Proved to be Exceptional Pilots During WW2 > .
Women in the Military - watm >> .
Air Transport Auxiliary, ATA
Ferry Air Pilots & Mr Churchill At RAF Station (1941)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buZRWX9GvdY
In 1938, Sir Gerard John Regis Leo d'Erlanger, a member of a renowned banking family and an accomplished pilot, became convinced that Great Britain urgently needed the help of its amateur pilots to wage a war he saw coming.
When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, the plan was suddenly taken seriously. D’Erlanger was by then the director of British Airways, so the company was asked to oversee the initiative. Letters were sent to about 1,000 male pilots asking if they wanted to serve their country by ferrying airplanes. About 100 replies came back, and after interviews and flight tests, the first 30 men were picked that September for what became the Air Transport Auxiliary, or ATA (which d’Erlanger joked stood for Ancient and Tattered Airmen). But what was most unusual—even radical—was the decision two months later [December, '39?] to satisfy the increasing demand for ferry services by including female pilots. On December 16, 1939, the first group of twelve women pilots were assembled at Whitchurch, and flight-tested in a Gypsy Moth. From this group of twelve, eight were selected and appointed as Second Officers.
It was the first time in British history that women were hired to fly military aircraft.
Pauline Gower, daughter of a parliamentarian, Sir Robert Gower, was asked to organize the ATA’s women’s division. In January 1940, Gower was given the authority to recruit eight experienced female pilots to transport two-seat Tiger Moth trainers from the de Havilland factory in Hatfield, north of London, to bases in the United Kingdom. The team members came from a wide range of backgrounds: Rosemary Rees was a former ballet dancer; Mona Friedlander, an international ice hockey player; and Winifred Crossley, the daughter of a doctor. Marian Wilberface was a pilot with her own Gipsy Moth. Joan Hughes had been Britain’s youngest pilot; she started flying at 15, before age restrictions were established. Margaret Cunnison and Gabrielle Patterson were both flight instructors (the first woman to instruct, Patterson also was a member of the National Women’s Air Reserve, a group that provided aid in national emergencies).
Some of the later recruits, such as Diana Barnato Walker, came from privileged backgrounds. Heiress to the DeBeers mining fortune, Walker grew up riding horses and attending lavish parties hosted by her father, race-car driver Woolf Barnato.
One recruit, Molly Rose, had taken her first flight from her own back yard. One of her older brothers, Arthur, had learned to fly at Cambridge and used the fields behind their house to take off and land his Tiger Moth.
http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/the-womens-raf-118165440/?all&no-ist
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Gower
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3194754/The-female-Guns-World-War-II-Inside-RAF-s-woman-ferry-squadron-rubbed-shoulders-men-flew-Spitfires.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1219834/The-sisters-fly-Spitfires-WWII-reunited-iconic-aircraft.html
http://hitlernews.cloudworth.com/female-pilots-women-of-ww2.php
http://www.wickfordhistory.org.uk/page/ata_girl
Ferry Pilots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmc6INOwQ3U .
USA - WASPS:
Women Proved to be Exceptional Pilots During WW2 > .
Women in the Military - watm >> .
Australian Women -- WW2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWROfQgsLOg
Land Women Of Australia -- Come The Three Corners (1943)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9DXr3zqDaw
Women in World War II
http://military.wikia.com/wiki/Women_in_World_War_II
Women in the Military - watm >> .
Sunday, January 27, 2019
BEF & Ten Year Rule
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The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the name of the British Army in Western Europe from 1939 to 1940, in the early stages of the Second World War.
During the 1930s, the British government planned to deter war by rearming from the very low level of readiness of the early 30s and abolished the Ten Year Rule^^. The bulk of the extra money went to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force but plans were made to re-equip a small number of Army and Territorial divisions, potentially for service overseas.
The BEF had been established in 1938, in readiness for war, after Nazi Germany annexed Austria in the Anschluss of March 1938 and made claims on Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, that led to the Munich Agreement (30 September 1938), ceding Sudetenland to Germany and the German occupation of Czechoslovakia (15 March 1939). After the French and British governments had promised to defend Poland, the German invasion of Poland began on 1 September and on 3 September, after the expiry of an ultimatum, the British and French declared war on Germany.
The BEF (General Lord Gort) began moving to France in September 1939. The British assembled along the Belgian–French border on the left of the French First Army as part of the French 1er groupe d'armées (1st Army Group) of the Front du Nord-est (North-Eastern Front). Most of the BEF spent the Phoney War digging field defences on the French–Belgian border before the Battle of France (Fall Gelb) began on 10 May 1940. The BEF constituted 10 percent of the Allied forces on the Western Front. The BEF participated in the Dyle Plan, a rapid advance into Belgium to the line of the river Dyle but had to retreat through Belgium and north-western France, with the rest of the 1 er groupe d'armées, after the German breakthrough further south at the Battle of Sedan. The BEF, French and Belgian forces were evacuated from Dunkirk on the French North Sea coast in Operation Dynamo.
Saar Force, the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division (with reinforcements), had been detached for service along the Maginot Line as part of a plan for the BEF units to gain experience. The force fought with local French units after 10 May, then joined the Tenth Army along with the improvised Beauman Division and the 1st Armoured Division, to fight in the Battle of Abbeville (27 May – 4 June) on the south side of the Somme. The British government attempted to re-build the BEF with divisions training in Britain, troops from France and lines-or-communications troops south of the Somme river (informally known as the 2nd BEF) but after the success of the second German offensive in France (Fall Rot) over the Somme and Aisne rivers, the troops were evacuated from Le Havre in Operation Cycle (10–13 June) and the French Atlantic and Mediterranean ports in Operation Ariel (15–25 June, unofficially to 14 August).
^^ The Ten Year Rule was a British government guideline, first adopted in August 1919, that the armed forces should draft their estimates "on the assumption that the British Empire would not be engaged in any great war during the next ten years".
The suggestion for the rule came from Winston Churchill, who in 1919 was Secretary of State for War and Air. Former Prime Minister Lord Balfour unsuccessfully argued to the Committee of Imperial Defence which adopted the rule that "nobody could say that from any one moment war was an impossibility for the next ten years… we could not rest in a state of unpreparedness on such an assumption by anybody. To suggest that we could be nine and a half years away from preparedness would be a most dangerous suggestion".
In 1928 Churchill, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, successfully urged the Cabinet to make the rule self-perpetuating and hence it was in force unless specifically countermanded. In 1931 the Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald wanted to abolish the Ten Year Rule because he thought it unjustified based on the international situation. This was bitterly opposed by the Foreign Secretary Arthur Henderson who succeeded in keeping the rule.
There were cuts in defence spending as a result of this rule, with defence spending going down from £766 million in 1919–20, to £189 million in 1921–22, to £102 million in 1932.[4] In April 1931 the First Sea Lord, Sir Frederick Field, claimed in a report to the Committee of Imperial Defence that the Royal Navy had declined not only in relative strength compared to other Great Powers but "owing to the operation of the 'ten-year-decision' and the clamant need for economy, our absolute strength also has...been so diminished as to render the fleet incapable, in the event of war, of efficiently affording protection to our trade". Field also claimed that the navy was below the standard required for keeping open Britain's sea communications during wartime and that if the navy moved to the East to protect the Empire there would not be enough ships to protect the British Isles and its trade from attack and that no port in the entire British Empire was "adequately defended".
The Ten Year Rule was abandoned by the Cabinet on 23 March 1932, but this decision was countered with: "...this must not be taken to justify an expanding expenditure by the Defence Services without regard to the very serious financial and economic situation" which the country was in due to the Great Depression.
A group of retired admirals have called the planned decade-long gap between the retirement of the Ark Royal and the coming into service of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers a new "10-year rule"
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sī vīs pācem, parā bellum
igitur quī dēsīderat pācem praeparet bellum therefore, he who desires peace, let him prepare for war sī vīs pācem, parā bellum if you wan...
