Women's Royal Air Force

Women's Royal Air Force
Active	1918-1920; 1949–1994
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Support services
Garrison/HQ	RAF Hawkinge
Commanders
Last Director WRAF	Air Commodore Ruth Montague
Air Chief Commandant	Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester

The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force. It existed in two separate incarnations: the Women's Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1920 and the Women's Royal Air Force from 1949 to 1994.

On 1 February 1949, the name of the First World War organisation was revived when the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, which had been founded in 1939, was re-established on a regular footing as the Women's Royal Air Force. The WRAF and the RAF grew closer over the following decades, with increasing numbers of trades opened to women, and the two services formally merged in 1994, marking the full assimilation of women into the British forces and the end of the Women's Royal Air Force.

The Central Band of the WRAF, one of only two all-female bands in the British Armed Forces, was disbanded in 1972. Some of its musicians transferred to the Band of the Women's Royal Army Corps.

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. The first incarnation never exceeded 25,000.[1]

Depots

Depots were opened in 1918 at Handsworth College, in Glasgow, at RAF Flowerdown, RAF Spitalgate, near Grantham, and at York. In the 1950s the WRAF Depot and WRAF Officer Cadet Training Unit were opened at RAF Hawkinge in Kent.

The Best Cadet receives her certificate from Air Marshal Sir Arthur Sanders and Air Commandant Dame Felicity Hanbury, the first Director of the Women's Royal Air Force, at RAF Hawkinge

Ranks

The WRAF inherited its rank structure from its predecessor, the WAAF. As with WAAF practice (from 1940), other ranks held standard RAF ranks, but officers used a separate ranking system until 1968, when they too adopted RAF officer ranks.

NATO code	OF-10	OF-9	OF-8	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		OF(D)	Student officer
Women's Royal Air Force (1949–1968)	No equivalent											No equivalent
Women's Royal Air Force (1949–1968)	No equivalent			Air Chief Commandant[note 1]	Air Commandant	Group Officer	Wing Officer	Squadron Officer	Flight Officer	Section Officer	Assistant Section Officer	No equivalent
Royal Air Force (Edit)													No equivalent
Royal Air Force (Edit)	Marshal of the RAF	Air chief marshal	Air marshal	Air vice-marshal	Air commodore	Group captain	Wing commander	Squadron leader	Flight lieutenant	Flying officer	Pilot officer /acting pilot officer	Officer cadet	No equivalent

These ranks were introduced in 1949. The First World War service used different ranks.

List of Commandants WRAF

Gertrude Crawford, 1918
Violet Douglas-Pennant, May–September 1918
Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, September 1918–1920

List of Directors WRAF

Air Commandant Dame Felicity Hanbury, 1949–1950
Air Commandant Dame Nancy Salmon, 1950–1956
Air Commandant Dame Henrietta Barnet, 1956–1959
Air Commandant Dame Anne Stephens, 1959–1962
Air Commandant Dame Jean Conan Doyle, 1962–1966
Air Commodore Dame Felicity Hill, 1966–1969
Air Commodore Philippa Marshall, 1969–1973
Air Commodore Molly Allott, 1973–1976
Air Commodore Joy Tamblin, 1976–1980
Air Commodore Helen Renton, 1980–1986
Air Commodore Shirley Jones, 1986–1989
Air Commodore Ruth Montague, 1989–1994

Notes

An honorary rank held only by Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, who held it as a rank (until 1968) and later an appointment throughout the WRAF's existence. On 1 April 1994 her title changed to Air Chief Commandant for Women, RAF, by which time she held the rank of Air Chief Marshal.

References

Women in Air Force Blue. p. 21.