Framed 1945 Christmas / New Year Letter from England

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1944

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Overview

Photostat of a handwritten letter from 2060684 Sergeant H Chant of the WAAF to Mrs Bentley of Thomsons Brook, Donnybrook W Australia. The letter was written on preprinted stationery numbered 479677 that was celebrating 1944 Christmas / 1945 New Year greetings.

The following is hand written in the writing area

"My Dear Aunt Mary & All

Just a few lines to wish you a Very Happy Christmas. I do hope Uncle Arthur will be home to spend it with you. It must make you frightfully busy with him being away, won't it be a happy day for us all when this war is over. Howard has now been moved to Ireland so we don't see quite so much of each other but still it could be worse I can hardly realize I've been married practically four months . Did you like the photos Aunty Olive sent. I do hope so. Well I must say cheerio now. Happy New Year to you all. Lots of Love

S Hilda
xxxx"

Historical information

Since 1938 companies had existed within the British Auxiliary Territorial Service, which was the female equivalent to the Territorial Army in Britain , that were affiliated to Air Force. By May 1939, the Government decided that a separate women’s air service was necessary and on 28 June 1939 King George VI established the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). The WAAF worked with the RAF for the purpose of substituting, where possible, women for RAF personnel. Within a year of mobilisation tens of thousands of women had volunteered to serve. When conscription was introduced for women in December 1941 the WAAF numbers grew significantly and by July 1943 a peak strength of 182,000 had been reached. By 1945 a quarter of a million women had served in the WAAF in over 110 different trades and they were an integral and vital part of the Royal Air Force’s war effort.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-124-2024.148

Item type

Documents

Material

Paper

Width

13 cm

Height or length

19 cm

Themes