The WRAF on parade in London at the end of World War I, 1918

The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, existing from 1 April 1918 until 1 April 1920, when it was disbanded. Its original intent was to provide female

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...

s in order to free up men for front line service in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. However, the organisation saw high enrolment, with women also serving in a number of other non-combatant roles, including drivers, caterers, clerks and tailors, as well as filling other wartime needs. Its last veteran was for a time thought to be

Gladys Powers Gladys Stokes Luxford Powers (10 May 1899 – 15 August 2008) was thought to be, at age 109, the last female veteran of the First World War following the 27 March 2007 death of fellow 109-year-old Charlotte Winters from the US. However the subs ...

, who died in 2008, but

Florence Green Florence Beatrice Green (''née'' Patterson; 19 February 1901 – 4 February 2012) was an English woman who at the time of her death was thought to have been the last surviving veteran of the First World War from any country. She was a member of ...

, who died in February 2012, was subsequently found to be the last-known surviving WRAF veteran. The name was revived in 1949 for the regular women's branch of the RAF. The auxiliary organisation in the

Second World War 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 ...

had been called the

Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000 at its peak strength in 1943, with over 2 ...

Strength

The target strength had been a force of around 90,000. Figures are unreliable until 1 August 1918, when the strength was 15,433, approximately 5,000 recruits and 10,000 transferred from the predecessor organisations, mainly the

Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), known as Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) from 9 April 1918, was the women's corps of the British Army during and immediately after the First World War. It was established in February 1917 and d ...

, but also the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

. The organisation never exceeded 25,000.

Depots

Depots were opened in 1918 at Handsworth College, in Glasgow, at

RAF Flowerdown Royal Air Force Flowerdown or more simply RAF Flowerdown is a former Royal Air Force station located in Hampshire, England. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) School for Wireless Operators moved from Farnborough to Flowerdown, later RAF Flowerdown ...

and at York.

List of Commandants

Gertrude Crawford Lady Gertrude Eleanor Crawford (née Molyneux) (1 July 1868 - 5 November 1937) was a British munitions worker and from April to May 1918 the first Commandant of the new Women's Royal Air Force. She was also one of the directors of The Stainless ...

, 1918 *

Violet Douglas-Pennant Commandant Violet Blanche Douglas-Pennant (31 January 1869 – 12 October 1945) was a British philanthropist and supporter of local government who served as the second commandant of the Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) until her dismissal in Augu ...

, May–September 1918 *

Helen Gwynne-Vaughan Dame Helen Charlotte Isabella Gwynne-Vaughan, (née Fraser; 21 January 1879 – 26 August 1967) was a prominent English botanist and mycologist. During the First World War, she served in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and then as Commanda ...

, September 1918 – 1920

Notes

External links

Search and download Service records of women who joined the WRAF, 1914–1919 from The National Archives.
{{Use dmy dates, date=August 2019 Royal Air Force All-female military units and formations Military units and formations established in 1918 Sex segregation 1918 establishments in the United Kingdom 1920 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Women's organisations based in the United Kingdom