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AWAS on Rottnest - WF94473 McNAUGHTON (nee REID)

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Subcollections

Australian Women's Army Service on Rottnest

Overview

Documentation relating to the AWAS service of WF94473 Private Isabella Hill McNaughton (nee Reid) of Claremont, born Caustry, Scotland

Historical information

James Hall Reid and Isabella Reid Macfarlane welcomed Isabella Hill Reid into this world on 29 March 1908, in Kilcardineshire Scotland. She arrived in Fremantle WA, as a nineteen year old on
22 June 1927, on the SS Ballarat. Her Brother James Hall Reid remained in Scotland (Parents?)

She enlisted in AWAS on 24 January 1943 at Claremont Teacher’s College, WA and was assigned the service number WF94473. At that time she was almost 35 and working as a general cook. After her rookie training she was posted to No 5 Section 8 Australian Supply Rottnest as a Classified Cook TG 2, with the rank of Private. After being admitted to 39 Camp Hospital in February 1944 she relinquished her TG2 Cook position for that of TG4 Orderly, which she maintained until her discharge on 30 August 1944

Isabella married William Narrie McNaughton on 7 April 1928 in Armadale, WA. She was divorced after leaving her husband in November 1935 and died at the age of 83 in 1991 Bentley. Her death certificate registered her as Isabella Hill McFarlane McNaughton. The lack of any subsequent marriage record suggests she remained single throughout her life.

Sources

Online index to WA births, deaths and marriages
Births (1841-1991) Deaths (1841-1991) Marriages (1841-1946)
https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-justice/online-index-search-tool

Index to WA burials Metropolitan Cemeteries index (covers Karrakatta, Fremantle, Rockingham, Midland, Guildford, Pinnaroo and Gnangara Aboriginal cemetery.
https://www.mcb.wa.gov.au

Information from newspaper indexes national Library of Australia
https://trove.nla.gov.au

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-54-067

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.

Links to additional resources

DVA Nominal Roll

Service Records

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

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