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AWAS on Rottnest - WF93155 ALDRIDGE

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Australian Women's Army Service on Rottnest

Overview

Documentation relating to the AWAS service of WF93155 Linda Victoria Aldridge (nee Gedling) from Leederville, born Perth

Historical information

Linda Victoria Gedling was born on 6 January 1901 in Albany, Western Australia. Her parents were Bessie Eviline Hilda Mildwater and Charles Emanuel Gedling.

She married in Williams, Western Australia, in 1920, to Frederick Aldridge. Therefore, her service record, on enlistment on 17 February, 1943, shows her married name of Aldridge. Her enlistment papers show her occupation as home duties/cook.

Linda and Fred had a daughter, Evelyn, in 1921. All three are shown as being on the electoral roll at Galway Street, Leederville in 1943. Linda’s service record shows she was widowed in 1943. Her record shows that next of kin details were changed to that of her daughter, Evelyn, in that year. Linda re-married, after her discharge from the Army in 1945, to James Alfred Farmer in 1946.

After her initial AWAS training Linda was transferred to Kingston Barracks in April 1943 as a cook. She was promoted to Lance Bombardier (Lance Corporal) in June 1943 and to Bombardier (Corporal) in May 1944. She worked throughout 1943-44 in the Fremantle Fixed Defences - mainly the Artillery and Fortress Engineers sections.

Linda was transferred to 15 Radio Maintenance Section for her discharge on 10 October 1945.

She died aged 91 years in March 1992.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-54-003

Contextual Information

The Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) was formed in late 1941, two years after the outbreak of World War 2. Australian women had been agitating for some time for the chance to join the War Effort. They wanted to do “real work, not knit sock for the men.” The primary aim of AWAS was to release men from some military duties so they could be deployed in fighting units.

Initial recruitment was for duties associated with “women’s work”, clerks, cooks and typists, still being done my male soldiers. Beginning in early 1942 as invading Japanese swept through the South West Pacific towards Australia, many more military trades were opened to women including signals, weapons plotting, drivers, which involved close contact with the coast defence systems on Rottnest.

This collection brings together the stories of women in the Australian Women’s Army Service who were deployed on Rottnest Island as part of the defences of Fortress Fremantle from 30 September 1942 onward. The content is based on a “Saluting Their Service” exhibition developed by the Rottnest Voluntary Guides on the 80th Anniversary of this deployment. The exhibition was presented at Kingstown Barracks, Rottnest Island from 8-9 October 2022 and at the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia from 9 – 17 November 2022.

Geotag

-31.930743563162, 115.84378011228

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Links to additional resources

Service Records

DVA Nominal Roll

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

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