Women at War in Uniform 1939-1945
	THE SECOND WORLD WAR witnessed the greatest mobilisation of women in British history for service in the armed forces. By the time the war had ended many female recruits had been added to the auxiliary forces and for some, often still in their teens, this was their first time away from home. Initially their roles were strictly limited, but within a year women routinely worked under fire. Some plotted the Luftwaffe as it made for their own airfields, others fired anti-aircraft guns in all-female or, later, in mixed batteries. Women in the WRNS maintained and repaired the ships of the Royal Navy, or even became involved in the most secret planning for D-Day. Elsewhere overseas, women undertook essential work in the tropics, as nurses or members of the Auxiliary Territorial Service. Experiences of the Second World War changed the lives of these women forever. At a time when boyfriends, marriage and home life might have been the expected destiny of many, travelling, making new friendships and facing and surviving the Second World War broadened women's horizons. Using narrative and eyewitness accounts, Women at War: In Uniform 1939-1945 evokes the wartime spirit of these women and gives a vivid insight into what their lives were like, from recruiting to demobilisation. Illustrated with a fascinating selection of contemporary photographs and ephemera, this book provides a timely reminder of the often underestimated contribution made by the nation's women to winning the war.