1944 Christmas Letter - to Mary Bentley

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1944

Subcollections

Overview

A sheet of beige coloured paper with black text, handwriting and images. This is a photostat only. It reads as follows:

Sender's Name and Address: 2060684 Sergeant H Chant, WAAF
Addressed to: Mrs M Bentley, Thomsons Brook, Donnybrook, W Australia.

The following is handwritten within 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, 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

Themes

War and Conflict > World War 2

Material

Paper

Width

13 cm

Height or length

19 cm

Inscriptions and markings

The letter was written on preprinted stationery numbered "479677" - personal greeting to family celebrating 1944 Christmas / 1945 New Year greetings.

Preprinted on the stationery above the writing area is typed "CHRISTMAS GREETINGS 1944"
Preprinted on the stationery below the writing area is typed "NEW YEAR GREETINGS 1945"

Contextual information

The WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) was formed in March 1941 to support the Royal Air Force (RAF) by providing essential personnel to fill roles that were typically reserved for men. Initially, women served in various non-combat roles, such as clerks and kitchen staff, but as the war progressed, their responsibilities expanded to include technical and administrative tasks. By the end of the war, the WAAF had grown to a peak strength of over 18,664 members, and it laid the groundwork for future women's services in the military.

Keywords

WW2

Letter

Waaf, Wran, & Wrac

Womens Ausiliary Air Force Service

Place made

United Kingdom

Year

1944

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Social or spiritual significance