Australian Women's Army Service

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Northam, West Australia. 1943-04-20. The Minister for the Australian Army, the Honourable F.M. Forde, inspecting personnel of the Australian Womens' Army Service at the Western Training Centre.

The Australian Women's Army Service or "AWAS" were a (non medical) women's service established on 13 August 1941 to "release men from certain military duties for employment in fighting units". ^[1]

[edit] Formation / Structure

The Service recruited women between the ages of 18 and 45 and it was initially envisaged they would serve in a variety of roles including clerks, typists, cooks and drivers. ^[2]

During the war a total of 24,026 women enlisted (with a maximum strength of 20,051 in January 1944). The AWAS had 71 barracks around the country.

They were paid wages equal to two-thirds that of their male equivalents. ^[3]

The AWAS had their own rank and administrative arrangements and they reported to the Chief of General Staff (CGS). The Commanding Officer or "Controller" of the AWAS was equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel.

Recruitment poster

The Controller of the AWAS (until the end of 1946) was Miss Sybil Howy Irving MBE, who in October 1941 set about selecting twenty-eight women as officers to form the nucleus of the AWAS. By 23 November 1941, these women together with Lt-Col Irving commenced training at Guide House, Yarra Junction, Victoria.

[edit] Service

AWAS initially served in Headquarters, and Base Installations, and later in almost all Army Services. 3,618 served with the Royal Australian Artillery and they manned the Fixed Defences of Australia from Hobart in the South and Cairns in the North, and Perth in the West. 3,600 served in the Australian Corps of Signals.

Officers and other ranks of the Australian Intelligence Corps were involved in (and commended for) their highly secret work. Motor transport drivers had truly varied lives driving cars, ambulances, trucks (up to 3 tons), jeeps, floating jeeps, Bren Gun Carriers and amphibious vehicles.^[2]

Despite the pleadings of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and General Sir Thomas Blamey, AWAS were the only non-medical women's service to send personnel overseas during the war. AWAS served in both Dutch and Australian New Guinea. Two oficers and three sergeants moved with Advanced LHQ in Dutch New Guinea in June 1944. On 3 May 1945, a detachment left for First Army headquarters in Lae under Captain Lucy Crane. Some 385 AWAS served with First Army Headquarters. Others served with the British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit.

[edit] Demobilisation

By 30 June 1947 all members of the AWAS had been demobilised (due to the end of the war). With the Korean War and full employment post World War II, the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) was formed in April 1951.

Female soldiers began to be integrated into the Army at large in the late 1970s and in early 1984, the WRAAC was disbanded.

[edit] See also

Brisbane 24 March 1945, AWAS from the Northern Territory during the Victory Loan March

• Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
• Women's Royal Australian Naval Service
• Female roles in the World Wars
• Australian Women's Land Army
• Auxiliary Territorial Service (UK)

[edit] External links

• The Australian War Memorial Research Centre - "Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) and Royal Australian Women's Army Corps (WRAAC)
• Australian Government Culture and Recreation Portal "Women in action - nurses and serving women"
• AWAS in Australia During WW2
• The Australian War Memorial Research Centre Colonel Sybil Howy Irving, MBE

[edit] References

Physical training instructors from the AWAS and Australian Army Medical Women's Service

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