Women’s Auxiliary Corps in Te Awamutu

During World War II it wasn’t just our local men who were called on to join the military, many local women signed up too — as members of the Women’s War Service Auxiliary Corps.

The Corps was founded in 1940 to recruit women, aged between 17 and 45, to fill the vacancies left by the men who had gone to war, whether it be on the farm, or making munitions — the Women’s Auxiliary covered it all.

Members of the Te Awamutu Women’s Auxiliary Corps were trained in bandaging, stretcherbearing, driving, mechanical maintenance, physical and military drill, clerical tasks, signalling and much more besides.

They, along with our local Home Guard, were our local defence against the invasion of any German or Japanese forces.

But it wasn’t all work and no play, the Te Awamutu wing of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps enjoyed arranging “visits and hospitality to the more than 600 servicemen and seamen in this district” and when it was disbanded in 1946 the Te Awamutu Courier recorded that “apart from doing excellent work, the girls also had time for good times . . . and a wonderful team spirit existed and the fact that enthusiasm was as keen at the end as when the members first met in the dark days of 1940 proves that an unexplainable “something” existed which kept interest alive throughout”.

Princess Elizabeth (now our Queen) carried out similar wartime service once she had turned 18, after which she served in Britain’s Auxiliary Territorial Service as a mechanic.