The Women's Auxiliary Service (WAS) ( pl, Pomocnicza Służba Kobiet (PSK), ''Pestki'') was a unit of

Polish Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, abbreviated ''SZ RP''; popularly called ''Wojsko Polskie'' in Poland, abbreviated ''WP''—roughly, the "Polish Military") are the national armed forces of ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

established in 1941 by initiative of

Lt. Gen. Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star rank, three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in ...

Władysław Anders ) , birth_name = Władysław Albert Anders , birth_date = , birth_place = Krośniewice-Błonie, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland, Russian Empire , death_date = , death_place = London, England, United Kingdom , serviceyears ...

, while creating Polish Armed Forces in the East.Maria Maćkowska, ''Pomocnicza Służba Kobiet w Polskich Siłach Zbrojnych'',

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, 1990, p. 11Anna D. Jaroszynśka-Kirchmann, ''The exile mission: the Polish political diaspora and Polish Americans, 1939-1956'', Ohio University Press, 2004, , p. 30 ''Pestki'' worked as

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

s in schools for

war orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

secretaries A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

in staffs,

pilots An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

, drivers, etc.Witold Biegański, ''Polskie Siły Zbrojne na Zachodzie 1939-1945'', Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 1990, p. 69Witold Biegański, ''Walki formacji polskich na Zachodzie, 1939-1945'', Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1981, , p. 341Bernard A. Cook, ''Women and war: a historical encyclopedia from antiquity to the present'', ABC-CLIO, 2006, , p. 474 In active service there were around 4,000 volunteers in any time of

, but 1 July 1945, in time of highest abundance, there were 7,000 women in WAS. In 1944 WAS was transferred to

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. In July 1944 Minister of National Defence reorganized WAS separating three new units: * Women's Army Auxiliary Service (WAAS) (''Pomocnicza Wojskowa Służba Kobiet, PWSK)'' * Women's Air Force Auxiliary Service (WAFAS) (''Pomocnicza Lotnicza Służba Kobiet, PLSK)'' * Women's Naval Auxiliary Service (WNAS) (''Pomocnicza Morska Służba Kobiet, PMSK)'' The same

bylaw A by-law (bye-law, by(e)law, by(e) law), or as it is most commonly known in the United States bylaws, is a set of rules or law established by an organization or community so as to regulate itself, as allowed or provided for by some higher authorit ...

established Headquarters of WAAS, Commandants of WAAS, WAFAS, WNAS and Superintendents to corps and armies' commands.

Commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

s were appointed by the

President of the Republic of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...

Military rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...

s were also harmonized with ranks of

Polish Armed Forces in the West The Polish Armed Forces in the West () refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II. Polish forces were also raised within Soviet territories; thes ...

. First Superintendent of WAS was Władysława Piechowska, another was Zofia Leśniowska.Wincenty Iwanowski, ''Z dziejów formacji polskich na Zachodzie, 1939-1945'', Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1976, p. 172 The WAS was disbanded in March 1946.

References

Bibliography

* Biegański Witold, ''Polskie Siły Zbrojne na Zachodzie 1939-1945'', Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 1990 * Biegański Witold, ''Walki formacji polskich na Zachodzie, 1939-1945'', Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1981, * Biegański Witold, Brodala Jan, ''Regularne jednostki wojska polskiego na Zachodzie'', Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1973 * Bobińska Anna, ''Pomocnicza Wojskowa Służba Kobiet 2 Korpusu 1941-1945'', Krupski i S-ka,

, 1999, * Cook Bernard A., ''Women and war: a historical encyclopedia from antiquity to the present'', ABC-CLIO, 2006, * Car Edward M., ''Kobiety w szeregach Polskich Sił Zbrojnych na Zachodzie, 1940-1948'', Oficyna Wydawnicza Adiutor, 1995, * Dzierżek Anna, Galczewska Zofia, Horbaczewska Irena, Poliszewska Halina, Kaczorowski Ryszard, ''Pomocnicza Służba Kobiet w Polskich Siłach Zbrojnych na Zachodzie 1939-1945'', Koło Kobiet Żołnierzy PSZ w Wielkiej Brytanii, London 1995, * Iwanowski Wincenty, ''Z dziejów formacji polskich na Zachodzie, 1939-1945'', Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej, 1976 * Jaroszynśka-Kirchmann Anna D., ''The exile mission: the Polish political diaspora and Polish Americans, 1939-1956'', Ohio University Press, 2004, * Maćkowska Maria, ''Pomocnicza Służba Kobiet w Polskich Siłach Zbrojnych'',

, 1990

External links

History of Women's Auxiliary Service
{{Authority control All-female military units and formations

See also

References

Bibliography

External links