aelita Posted 25 September , 2007 Share Posted 25 September , 2007 Just wondering if anyone might recognise the uniform(s) in the attached picture. My grandmother Gerty Branch is the lady on the right. I know she was in munitions early in the war, but what service she may have done subsequently is unrecorded. Can anyone help? With her are two ladies (sisters I believe) who emigrated to Canada after the war. I don't know their names. Perhaps by some miracle someone will recognise the faces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salientguide Posted 25 September , 2007 Share Posted 25 September , 2007 aelita as far as I know munition workers had no particular uniform, although I may be wrong,. others more expert than me will comment I,m sure. Was there a WW1 equivalent of the Land Army for agricultural work or possibly nursing?? have you tried any tracing of the sisters in Canada? regards SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staffsreg Posted 25 September , 2007 Share Posted 25 September , 2007 On Gerty's left sleeve, is there a cloth/woven badge of some description...? If so this would help greatly Certainly pretty ladies! Regards, Ivan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aelita Posted 25 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 25 September , 2007 No chance of my tracing the two ladies on the left, sadly. I don't know what their names were. I can see that all 3 uniforms, and the hats for that matter, differ quite clearly from each other. Someone's mentioned a book on this forum regarding WW1 womens' uniforms, and I shall try to get it (I think I may even have it in storage somewhere!) but if anyone recognises anything in the meantime, I'd be very grateful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpjbrennan Posted 25 September , 2007 Share Posted 25 September , 2007 Female Munitions workers did wear uniforms, but they were protective clothing, not military-style uniforms (see example below) Aelita - would I be right in assuming that this is Florence Gertrude Branch, daughter of George and Mary Branch of Hebburn? If so, that might narrow the number of possible organisations she could have joined, assuming, that is, that she remained on Tyneside during the War. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aelita Posted 25 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 25 September , 2007 Female Munitions workers did wear uniforms, but they were protective clothing, not military-style uniforms (see example below) Aelita - would I be right in assuming that this is Florence Gertrude Branch, daughter of George and Mary Branch of Hebburn? If so, that might narrow the number of possible organisations she could have joined, assuming, that is, that she remained on Tyneside during the War. Patrick Yes, it is one and the same! Other than on her birth certificate however, she used the name Gertrude Florence which I've only just discovered, which has made research tricky. I know she worked on Tyneside in munitions (apparently she would describe to my mother walking home at night, exhausted). What she did after that is less clear - we know she ended up in Hampshire by the war-end, where she married my grandfather in 1921. Not sure how they met. By that date he was stationed at Borden camp in the RFA. Sorry if anyone thought I was thinking that the uniform was a munitions one - I wasn't! She did munitions first and another service later. My very uneducated guess is that this uniform is possibly a WAAC one and she was presumably stationed at Borden. Maybe someone can attest to that hunch or tell me I'm off track. I can't locate a medal card for her.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpjbrennan Posted 25 September , 2007 Share Posted 25 September , 2007 Have you contacted F.A.N.Y. or the Red Cross to see if they have any record of her? http://www.fany.org.uk/history/tracing.html http://www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=3423 Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aelita Posted 25 September , 2007 Author Share Posted 25 September , 2007 Have you contacted F.A.N.Y. or the Red Cross to see if they have any record of her? http://www.fany.org.uk/history/tracing.html http://www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=3423 Patrick I haven't. but presumably those would both relate to nursing services? I'm almost certain she wasn't in that line to be honest. Certainly not in the correct social strata to be a VAD, but I'm sure I remember my Mum mentioning that her family paid for a uniform, which was not cheap. Would WAACs need to pay for their own uniforms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitty VAD Posted 25 October , 2007 Share Posted 25 October , 2007 It is very similar to some photos of the Scottish Womens Hospital Unit, they wore a tartan hat band, but I can't see that clearly. Also, the hat of the lady on the right is almost girl guide like, hope you have some luck! Kitty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now