Key sources

BOOK

Women in Air Force Blue by Squadron Leader Beryl E Escott (Patrick Stephens, 1989) This book details the formation and development of the WRAF/WAAF, including first-hand accounts (some cited in this article), photographs and sketches.

MUSEUM

¨ RAF Museum London Grahame Park Way, London NW9 5LL 020 8205 2266 london@rafmuseum.org rafmuseum.org.uk The First World War in the Air exhibition, running at the museum’s London site until the end of 2020, includes letters, diaries, medals and uniforms, while the museum’s website features an online exhibition entitled Women of the Air Force.

WEBSITES

Imperial War Museum iwm.org.uk/collections Search the IWM’s extensive collections under ‘WRAF’ and ‘WAAF’ for thousands of photographs and oral recordings. ¨ Merseyside at War bit.ly/merseyside-wraf This interesting article discusses WRAF recruitment in Liverpool in 1918.

Ministry of Defence

bit.ly/deceased-personnel The ministry holds records of service personnel, including members of the WRAF and WAAF, from about 1921. This page explains how to obtain your ancestor’s service record by completing downloadable forms and paying a fee.

The National Archives

discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ details/r/c15011 The service records of about 31,000 WRAFs, and their predecessors, have been digitised by TNA. However, officers’ records are believed to be lost.

WAAF WRAF RAF(W) Association

waafassociation.org.uk The association celebrating past and present airwomen has a useful website including a concise history, news items, events and helpful resources.