Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division
Encyclopedia
The Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division was an element of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) which was active during the Second World War.
The Women's Division was originally called the Canadian Women's Auxiliary Air Force (CWAAF), which formed in July 1941. The CWAAF was modelled on and structured like the Royal Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
(WAAF). The name change to Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division occurred in February 1942. Women's Division personnel were commonly known as WDs.
schools across Canada
. To allow as many men as possible to contribute to wartime operational duties, WDs took over many responsibilities once held by men. The original 1941 order-in-council
authorized "the formation of a component of the Royal Canadian Air Force to be known as the Canadian Women's Auxiliary Air Force, its function being to release to heavier duties those members of the RCAF employed in administrative, clerical and other comparable types of service employment."
Duties expanded as the war progressed. Among the many jobs carried out by WD personnel, they became clerks, drivers, fabric workers, hairdressers, hospital assistants, instrument mechanics, parachute
riggers, photographers, air photo interpreters, intelligence officers, instructors, weather observers, pharmacists, wireless
operators, and Service Police
.
RCAF regulations at the time precluded women who possessed flying licences from flight instructing or front-line duty. Most WDs were located at British Commonwealth Air Training Plan training stations across Canada; many served overseas with RCAF Overseas Headquarters and No. 6 (bomber) Group
. Over 17,400 women served with the Women's Division before it was discontinued in December 1946. Thirty WDs died during the war.
Princess Alice
, the then viceregal consort
of Governor General
Alexander Cambridge, Earl of Athlone
, served as Honorary Air Commandant of the Women's Division.
The Women's Division was originally called the Canadian Women's Auxiliary Air Force (CWAAF), which formed in July 1941. The CWAAF was modelled on and structured like the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(WAAF). The name change to Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division occurred in February 1942. Women's Division personnel were commonly known as WDs.
History
At the beginning of the war, the RCAF was experiencing a shortage of personnel. Men were needed for combat duties overseas and for training duties at British Commonwealth Air Training PlanBritish Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
schools across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. To allow as many men as possible to contribute to wartime operational duties, WDs took over many responsibilities once held by men. The original 1941 order-in-council
Order-in-Council
An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, typically those in the Commonwealth of Nations. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the Queen by the Privy Council , but in other countries the terminology may vary.-Assent:Although the Orders are...
authorized "the formation of a component of the Royal Canadian Air Force to be known as the Canadian Women's Auxiliary Air Force, its function being to release to heavier duties those members of the RCAF employed in administrative, clerical and other comparable types of service employment."
Duties expanded as the war progressed. Among the many jobs carried out by WD personnel, they became clerks, drivers, fabric workers, hairdressers, hospital assistants, instrument mechanics, parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
riggers, photographers, air photo interpreters, intelligence officers, instructors, weather observers, pharmacists, wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
operators, and Service Police
Royal Canadian Air Force Police
The Royal Canadian Air Force Police was responsible for military police functions for the Royal Canadian Air Force .In 1940 the RCAF set up the Guards and Discipline Branch, which later changed its name to the Directorate of Provost and Security Services . The DPSS provided police mainly for guard,...
.
RCAF regulations at the time precluded women who possessed flying licences from flight instructing or front-line duty. Most WDs were located at British Commonwealth Air Training Plan training stations across Canada; many served overseas with RCAF Overseas Headquarters and No. 6 (bomber) Group
No. 6 Group RCAF
No. 6 Group RCAF was an organization of Royal Canadian Air Force bomber squadrons which operated from airfields in Yorkshire, England during the Second World War. Although 6 Group was RCAF, it was controlled by the Royal Air Force as part of Bomber Command. No. 6 Group had been previously active...
. Over 17,400 women served with the Women's Division before it was discontinued in December 1946. Thirty WDs died during the war.
Princess Alice
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone was a member of the British Royal Family. She was the longest-lived Princess of the Blood Royal of the British Royal Family and the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria...
, the then viceregal consort
Viceregal consort of Canada
The viceregal consort of Canada is the spouse of the serving governor general of Canada, assisting the viceroy with ceremonial and charitable work, accompanying him or her to official state occasions, and occasionally undertaking philanthropic work of their own...
of Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Alexander Cambridge, Earl of Athlone
Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
Major-General Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone , was a close relative of the shared British and Canadian royal family, as well as a British military commander and major-general who served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, the...
, served as Honorary Air Commandant of the Women's Division.
Ranks
The Royal Canadian Air Force Women's Division used a rank structure similar to that of the Royal Air Force's WAAF. Ranks are listed with the most senior rank at the top.| Air Chief Commandant |
| Air Commandant |
| Group Officer |
| Wing Officer |
| Squadron Officer |
| Flight Officer |
| Section Officer |
| Assistant Section Officer |
| Under Officer 1st Class |
| Under Officer 2nd Class |
| Flight Sergeant |
| Sergeant |
| Corporal |
| Leading Aircraftwoman |
| Aircraftwoman 1st Class |
| Aircraftwoman 2nd Class |
See also
- Canadian Women's Army CorpsCanadian Women's Army CorpsThe Canadian Women's Army Corps was a non-combatant branch of the Canadian Army for women established during World War II to release men from those non-combatant roles in the Canadian armed forces as part of expanding Canada's war effort. Most women served in Canada but some served overseas, most...
- Women's Royal Canadian Naval ServiceWomen's Royal Canadian Naval ServiceThe Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service was an element of the Royal Canadian Navy that was active during the Second World War and post-war as part of the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve until unification in 1968....
- Women's Auxiliary Air ForceWomen's Auxiliary Air ForceThe Women's Auxiliary Air Force , whose members were invariably referred to as Waafs , was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II, established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.A Women's Royal Air...
(Royal Air Force) - Women's Auxiliary Australian Air ForceWomen's Auxiliary Australian Air ForceThe Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve and by the Chief of the Air Staff who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service overseas. The WAAAF was the first and largest of the World War II...
(Royal Australian Air Force) - Jean Suey Gei Lee - the only woman of Chinese CanadianChinese CanadianChinese Canadians are Canadians of Chinese descent. They constitute the second-largest visible minority group in Canada, after South Asian Canadians...
descent to serve (as a WD) during the Second World War.