Golden Fleece uniform swap card.

Australian Women’s Army Service

On the back of the card: ‘ By performing such tasks as clerks, signallers, drivers, cooks, orderlies, typists, telephonists, mechanics and A.A. crews, these gallant women released soldiers for active duty. The A.W.A.S. was disbanded in 1946, the newly formed Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps, or W.R.A.A.C., carrying in its splendid tradition.’ I’m not sure you needed to be gallant (brave/heroic) to do those tasks.

This service was inaugurated in 1941 to allow women to fill jobs within the army so that men could be released for active duty. Over 20,000 women were part of the A.W.A.S. during WW2, in such roles as  clerks, typists and cooks, drivers, signallers, and provosts (military police). It  was disbanded in 1947, but some of the personnel went on to join the new Women’s Royal Australian Army in 1951.

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