The Service was established in April 1941 when the Royal Australian Navy enrolled 14 women at HMAS Harman, the wireless telegraphy station near Canberra. Two women were stewards, and 12 trained as telegraphists. At the time, the formation of this civilian unit was not publicised, but this changed when the War in the Pacific was perceived as a growing threat to Australia.
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Mrs Florence Violet McKenzie was a ham radio operator and electrical engineer who ran a shop in the Royal Arcade in Sydney. She had an idea that women could replace men in the field of communications. She and a small group of women decided to train themselves in telegraphy. The demand for the training increased and the Women's Emergency Signalling Corps (WESC) was formed. Initially, the training occurred at the shop at 9 Clarence Street Sydney, but overcrowding led to McKenzie renting out a neighbouring woolstore in 1939, which she renovated with linoleum flooring, in addition to installing radio equipment for twelve classes.
During the early days of World War II, many recruits and servicemen in the armed forces attended the classes, as the original female students were proficient enough to teach others and were later supplemented by instructors from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Morse code signalling was required prerequesite knowledge for people applying to the RAAF as pilots and to the Army as signallers. The courses on offer were later expanded to include visual signalling for the Merchant Navy, and to provide pre-exam training to trainee pilots sitting the CAA qualification exam. The school trained over 10,000 people during its operation.
One of the girls, Francis Proven, read an article about the Women's Royal Naval Service, and several of the telegraphists became enthusiastic about the idea of a Women's Royal Australian Naval Service. McKenzie offered the Minister for Navy fully trained female morse code operators, in order to free up men for active service. On 31 January 1941, after six months of lobbying, the Naval Board approved the use of women telegraphists, preferably as civilians. On 18 April 1941 the Minister for the Navy, Billy Hughes, approved the employment of fourteen women with a provision that there be no publicity. On 21 April, the Navy Office sent a letter to the Commodore-in-Charge at Sydney authorizing the entry of women into the Navy as WRANS.
The initial fourteen women (twelve telegraphists and two domestic helpers) had their medical test on 25 April and arrived at HMAS Harman in Canberra on 28 April 1941. Francis Proven became WRANS number 1.
On 1 October 1942, the WRANS were sworn in as enlisted personnel in the Royal Australian Navy. In December 1942, newspaper coverage was used to promote the existence of the WRANS and encourage applications. The first 16 WRANS officers were trained at the Flinders Naval Depot, and by February 1943 their numbers had increased to 1,000. By the end of the war, their numbers had increased to over 2,500.
WRANS performed a variety of duties, working as telegraphists, coders and clerks; but also as drivers, education officers, mechanics, harbour messengers, cooks and sickberth attendants. Some WRANS worked for the Allied Intelligence Bureau, the Censorship Office, and the Allied Translation Section of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur's Order of Battle unit. WRANS personnel also served as domestic staff at Government House, Yarralumla, stafferd the Honours section of the Governor-General's Office, ran a choir for charity performances and radio broadcasts, and published Harmania, a newspaper.
The Service was disbanded in 1948, but was re-formed in 1951 to help the RAN cope with manpower shortages, and by 1959 was later incorporated as a non-combatant (and thus non-seagoing) part of the permanent naval forces. HRH Princess Alexandra was the Honorary Commandant of the WRANS. She paid a visit to HMAS Harman in 1959 and 1978. Angus Ogilvy accompanies her on the later visit.
Women were permitted to serve aboard Australian naval ships in 1983. Subsequently, WRANS personnel were fully integrated into the Royal Australian Navy, and in 1984 the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service was again disbanded.
For six months the WRANS wore the green WESC uniform The Naval tailors copied the WRNS uniform, and clothing was available by July 1941, but without shoes. The uniform was a winter outfit with a jacket with two rows of three buttons, a skirt, blouse, hat, tie and underwear. Later a summer uniform with a dress, belt and socks was issued. The dress had a wide white collar and buttons down the front.