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AWAS on Rottnest - WF90185 WHITE (married WILKINSON)

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Subcollections

Australian Women's Army Service on Rottnest

Overview

Documentation relating to the AWAS service of WF90185 Private Joan Grace Wilkinson (nee White) of Leederville, born Pinjarra

Historical information

Joan was born on24 April 1921 in Pinjarra WA. Her parents were William Gosford White and Grace Crampton. William and Grace married in Pinjarra in 1915.

Grace was born 12 June 1897 in Perth WA. (? More needs to be checked here possibly illegitimate). Her grandfather was Matthew Smith, possibly a convict who came to WA as a convict ? arrived on the Mermaid 1851.

In 1943 Electoral Roll shows Joan living 134 Richmond St Leederville and her occupation was given as AWAS. Joan married John Alfred Wilkinson in 1943 in Perth.

In 1949 both Joan and John were living 13 The Grove Leederville.
In 1958 they were living in 13 The Grove Leederville. John was working as a fitter.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-32-54-022

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

-32.629717688982, 115.87337995675

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Links to additional resources

Service Summary

Service Records

Australian Army Museum of Western Australia

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