Genealogy Chat

The following is a piece about the Auxiliary Territorial Service, lifted from this website: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet(.)co.uk/2WWats.htm In January 1917, the government announced the establishment of a new voluntary service, the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC). During the First World War these women served as clerks, telephonists, waitresses, cooks, and as instructors in the use of gas masks. The WAAC was disbanded in 1921. In 1938 the government decided to establish the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). An advisory council was set up and included representatives of the Territorial Army, the Women's Transport Service and the Women's Legion. It was decided that the ATS should be attached to the Territorial Army and that the women would receive two-thirds of the soldiers' pay. The Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service was official launched on 9th September, 1938. The first women recruited worked as cooks, clerks and storekeepers. After the outbreak of the Second World War 300 members of the ATS were sent to France. On the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk in May 1940, ATS telephonists were some of the last people to leave the country. It was now decided to dramatically increase the size of the ATS. Women aged between 17 and 43 were allowed to join the service. However, WAAC veterans of the First World War were accepted up to the age of fifty. By September 1941 the ATS has 65,000 members. Their range of duties were also expanded and women now served as office, mess and telephone orderlies, drivers, postal workers and ammunition inspectors. On 18th December 1941, the National Service Act was passed by Parliament. This legislation called up unmarried women aged between twenty and thirty. Later this was extended to married women, although pregnant women and mothers with young children were exempt from this work. Women could choose to join one of the auxiliary services - Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) or the Women's Transport Service (FANY). Women in the ATS served as volunteers with the British Army until given full military status in July 1941. Women also joined the Women's Voluntary Service (WVS) to help in supplying a wide variety of emergency services at home. Another option was to become a member of the Women's Land Army and help on British farms. By 1943 around 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were involved in war work. Provision was made for women to object to the National Service Act on moral grounds. Of the 6000 people to go on the conscientious objectors register, around 2000 were women. About 500 women were prosecuted for a range of offences, and more than 200 of them were imprisoned. Women were not allowed to fight in battle but as more and more men were called overseas to fight, their duties extended to include radar operators, military police, gun crews, and many other operational support tasks. By June, 1945, there were over 190,000 members of the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service.

I have found an entry for a Gladys Gammin. If someone knows this site better than me, can someone please tell me all about it. I don't understand some of the details, she died it says in 1947 but is a war dead casualty. How can this be is my first question. Another question is her regiment was "Auxiliary Territorial Service". What does this mean? Thanks Steve