Jeanie was Women’s Army first

Old school visited on leave

A Stirling lady, who was one of the first to join the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp, returned home for some well-earned rest.

Miss Jeanie C Armour was niece of plumber Mr John Merrilees, Friars Street and the 1909 dux medallist of Craigs School.

She left school and became a bookkeeper with Messrs Cooper and Co, Murray Place, Stirling, and studied shorthand, attaining a speed of 160 words a minute.

Miss Armour also learned French and her skills enabled her to secure a job as a shorthand typist and French correspondent with a Glasgow legal firm.

Following the outbreak of war, Miss Armour landed the post of secretary and French correspondent of a Government committee.

However, she was determined to do more to help the war effort and left her lucrative post during 1916 to enlist as a private in the WAAC.

With the Army running short of troops, the WAAC was formed to give women the opportunity to take on non-frontline duties in catering, stores and administration, and free up men for combat.

Miss Armour had been on active service at a base camp “somewhere in France” since January, 1917, and had served as secretary to the commanding officer there.

There were already said to be thousands of women helping the war effort in France and moves were underway to recruit 40,000 more.

The women were housed in huts or, where available, hotels and pensions. They were given their own camp bed, mattress and four blankets but no sheets because of laundry difficulties.

According to the Stirling Journal, meals supplied to the WAACs were better than most were enjoying at home and included bacon and boiled ham for breakfast; roast, boiled beef or savoury stew for dinner followed by rice pudding, and Welsh rarebit for supper.

Returning to Miss Armour, the paper added: “She was recently home on 10 days’ furlough and her many friends in the town were delighted to see her in the neat khaki uniform in which members of the WAAC are garbed.

“Her old school received a visit from this patriotic former pupil during her leave.

“Many ‘old boys’ of the Craigs have taken a prominent part of keeping the German armies in check during the past three years but Miss Armour is probably the first of its girls’ pupils to become a member of the Women’s Army. “