Looking for Wrens who joined during 1947-81 to share memories
Letter of the day
I am looking for ex-Wrens – anyone who joined during 1947-81 and trained at HMS Dauntless, Reading.
I'm compiling a searchable, accessible archive of divisional ‘class’ photos that only ex-Wrens may access. The collection also encourages old friends to be rediscovered and to share memories.
With permission, I started this archive and stored the collection in a private Facebook group and contacted all the Wrens I could trace using social media. But I know that there are many hundreds of ladies out there who don't use social media.
Within a month we had over 1,000 members in the group. That's when we discovered that this was so much more than just an archive of old photos. Especially during lockdown, it became a place of memories, finding old friends, making new ones, adding photos of adventures and escapades. It brought isolated ladies together, occasionally offered moral support and gave us all things to think and talk about. Within the first month of existence there were over 10.5k social interactions within the group.
Thirty thousand wrens went through the gates of HMS Dauntless during the 34 years in operation. Approximately 40 divisions (classes) per year which means a rough total of 1,360 classes which equals the potential
for 1,360 class photos. We currently have around 600 photos – 42.5 per cent of what's possible.
If you were, or you know of any ladies who were in the Wrens, please get in touch with us because we'd love to hear from you and quite possibly, give the opportunity to reconnect with old classmates. Email: ddpwrens@gmail.com
Mandy Whitham, coordinator Dauntless Div Phots
Pat Huxtable Nettlestone Road, Southsea