Women's Royal Naval Service

The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.

Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, and electricians, and a small number of air mechanics during the Second World War. It was formed in 1917 during the First World War, and by the end of the war had 5,500 members, 500 of them officers. It was disbanded in 1919.

It was revived in 1939 at the beginning the Second World War, with an expanded list of allowable activities, including flying transport planes. At its peak in 1944 it had 75,000 people. During the war there were 100 deaths. One of the slogans used in recruiting posters was "Join the Wrens -- free a man for the fleet."

It remained in existence after the war and was finally integrated into the regular Royal Navy in 1993. Women sailors are however still known as wrens or Jennies (Jenny Wrens) in naval slang.

Before 1993, all women in the Royal Navy were members of the WRNS except nurses, who joined (and still join) Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service, and medical and dental officers, who were commissioned directly into the Royal Navy, held RN ranks, and wore WRNS uniform with gold RN insignia.

Ranks and uniform

The WRNS had its own ranking system, which it retained until amalgamation into the Royal Navy in 1993.

Ratings' titles were suffixed with their trade (e.g. Leading Wren Cook, Chief Wren Telegraphist).

Wrens wore the same rank insignia as their male equivalents, but in blue instead of gold. The "curls" atop officers' rank stripes were diamond-shaped instead of circular.

Wren uniform consisted of a double-breasted jacket and skirt, with shirt and tie, for all ranks (although similar working dress to the men could also be worn). Junior Ratings wore hats similar to those of their male counterparts (although with a more sloping top). Senior Ratings (Petty Officers and above) and officers wore tricorne hats with a white cover. All insignia, including cap badges and non-substantive (trade) badges, was blue.

List of Directors WRNS

*Dame Katharine Furse, 1917–1919
*Dame Vera Laughton Mathews, 1939–1946
*Dame Jocelyn Woollcombe, 1946–1950
*Commandant Dame Mary Lloyd, 1950–1954
*Commandant Dame Nancy Robertson, 1954–1958
*Commandant Dame Elizabeth Hoyer-Millar, 1958–1960
*Commandant Dame Jean Davies, 1960–1964
*Commandant Dame Margaret Drummond, 1964–1966
*Commandant Dame Marion Kettlewell, 1966–1970
*Commandant Daphne Blundell, 1970–1973
*Commandant Mary Talbot, 1973–1976
*Commandant Vonla McBride, 1976–1979
*Commandant Elizabeth Craig-McFeely, 1979–1982
*Commandant Patricia Swallow, 1982–1985
*Commandant Marjorie Fletcher, 1985–1988
*Commandant Anthea Larken, 1988–1991
*Commandant Anne Spencer, 1991–1993

Deaths

Nineteen-year-old Josephine Carr was one of three Wrens from Cork, Ireland who were travelling together on the RMS "Leinster" from Dublin to Holyhead on 10 October 1918. Carr became the first Wren to die on active service when the ship was torpedoed. Her body was never recovered.

Footnotes

ee also

*Women's Royal Air Force
*Women's Royal Army Corps
*Female roles in the World Wars

External links

* [http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~pv/pv/courses/posters/images1/wrens1.html Wrens Recruitment Poster]
* [http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~pv/pv/courses/posters/images1/wrens2.html Wrens Recruitment Poster 2]