Womans Emergancy Corps

[T8HANTS]

Reading through the local paper for January 1915 I came across references to the Womans Emergancy Corps. What was it, and was it a uniformed body.

Gareth

[Moonraker]

This is an extract from our parent (sister?) website, The Long, Long Trail:

"Women's Volunteer Reserve

This organisation developed from a very early one, the Women's Emergency Corps which came into existence in August 1914. The latter was the initiative of Decima Moore and the Hon. Evelina Haverfield - a militant and influential suffragette - who seized the opportunity provided by the crisis to organise a role for women. It was soon joined by many women from the higher classes and was in the early days an unlikely mix of feminists and women who would not normally have mixed with such dangerous types. They became involved in several ventures, not least of which was in providing until 1918 a uniformed group called the Lady Instructors Signals Company, who trained Aldershot army recruits in signalling. However the work was largely of a domestic, fund-raising nature. The WVR was however rather expensive to join - one had to pay for ones own uniform which at more than £2 could not be afforded by lower classes. This was an influence in the establishment of the Women's Legion, which had a more widespread appeal."

The Corps' duties seem to have been mainly of the "comforts for the troops" type rather than paramilitary. The Times of November 8, 1919 notes that it was be formally disbanded that month and that it had founded the Women's Volunteer Reserve, "the first band of women to wear military uniform".

Slightly surprisingly, Gareth's enquiry seems to be the first we've had about the WEC, though a Forum search suggests it has been mentioned within posts.

Moonraker

[Sue Light]

An officer and private in uniform:

Sue

[Moonraker]

An officer and private in uniform:

Sue

Sue: just to clarify; are these ladies in the Women's Emergency Corps or Women's Volunteer Reserve?

Moonraker

[Sue Light]

These two are Women's Volunteer Reserve - the WEC was very shortlived, and I'm not sure they ever had an 'official' uniform.

Sue

[T8HANTS]

thank you both for the info'

Gareth

[Moonraker]

... it had founded the Women's Volunteer Reserve, "the first band of women to wear military uniform".

Moonraker

I'm surprised that no-one has jumped on this; I had my doubts when I posted it yesterday, and when I was in my local library this morning looking for something else I spotted The FANY in Peace and War by Hugh Popham (Leo Cooper 2003), which states that in 1907 the very first FANY members had to provide their own uniforms; it's not clear what these were, but the author describes them as "elegant but not very practical". In 1909 the Women's Sick & Wounded Convoy Corps wore divided skirts, Norfolk golf jackets and helmets.

In 1911 the original FANY uniform was replaced by one consisting of a divided khaki skirt worn over red breeches with a khaki tunic. A photo in the book shows four FANY members wearing this, with rank chevrons on their arms and military hats.

Moonraker