Women in Wartime | From the Home to the Home Front
18/03/2026 | Emma Garnham , Matthew Tredwen
Throughout the conflicts of the early twentieth century, women supported the war effort in manifold ways. To celebrate women’s history month 2026, we are taking a look at the legacy of women in WWI and WWII.
WWI
At the outbreak of war, as their male friends and family signed up for active service, female volunteers joined wartime organisations in droves. Britain’s first female military unit, the Women’s Army Auxilliary Corps, came into being in July 1917, followed by the Women’s Royal National Service (WRNS) in November 1917, and the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) in April 1918. Estimates suggest that 90% of able-bodied single women, aged between 18 and 40 were in work or National Service by September 1943.
The volunteer nurses continue to hold a strong position in public memory, and rightly so. Voluntary work took women overseas to France, where they served as Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses, treating the sick and wounded at rest stations. Many women were sent to the western front ahead of the arrival of the American American Expeditionary Forces. By 1918, it is estimated that over 3,000 American nurses served in over 750 British-run hospitals in France.
The new demands of war created opportunities for innovation from the bright minds of Europe. Marie Curie brought the radiology to the front lines by developing a fleet of Les Petities Curies in 1914 - mobile X-Ray machines in trucks, complete with a darkroom to develop the plates. Operated by women in the Union des Femmes de France and the Red Cross, Les Petites Curies helped in the treatment of over a million wounded soldiers. Tragically, the dangers of radiation exposure were as-yet unknown and Marie Curie herself succumbed to exposure-related illness specifically related to the development of Petites Curies.
WWII
As Europe descended into war in the 1930s, men and women again stepped up to defend and support their country. One of the most famous examples, the Women’s Land Army, was founded in 1939. As part of the Land Army, women took the place of male farm workers to ensure the nation was kept fed.
Already an established part of the industrial workforce outside of wartime, the demands of war saw female employment increase from 5 million in 1939 to over 7 million in 1943. The changing manufacturing demands of war saw women enter into new roles, specifically munitions manufacturing. Such work was not without risk. Freak accident explosions claimed the lives of the women working. If they managed to avoid explosions, workers at munitions factories risked developing fatal toxic jaundice caused by exposure to TNT.
Women’s role during the war is often seen as once of domestic labour. Indeed, in a time of rationing, the importance of organised domestic production, such as the cultivation and preservation of food was significant. But does not encompass the whole story. Many women risked their safety and their lives to engage in active service and support the war effort from the front lines. In 1938 the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) was formed as the women’s branch of the British Army, succeeded by the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC) in 1949. Tragically, 187 members of Britain’s WAAF were killed on duty by 1946.
Women could be wart heroes. One such example is Flora Sandes. Sandes served as a Sergeant Major in WWI and rejoined the army in 1941, at 65 years old, to oppose the progression of Nazi forces across Europe.
Women Post-War
The importance of women during World War One was evident. And their ability to step into the roles left by men only underlined the growing clamour calling for women to be given the right to vote. Although prominent campaigning organisation, Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), the calls for suffrage returned after the war. The 1918 Representation of the People Act recognised the significant contributions of women to society. From 1918 all men over the age of 21, and women over the age of 30 who met the property qualification. This meant select women had the chance to vote for the first time on almost 90 years, following their exclusion in the 1832 Reform Acts.
A legacy of social progression is harder to see after the Second World War. Following the uncertainty and vulnerability of life in wartime, many people sought peace as a way back to pre-war life. As servicemen returned to civilian lives, women were in turn pushed out of their wartime roles and back into the realms of domestic labour.
After the war, many organisations were disbanded, save the select few. One exception is the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, which survived by virtue of it being self-funded, and has continued into it’s current organisation as the Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps.
However, the experiences of war had an indelible impact on the social fabric of Britain and the world. More varied professions, such as teaching and medicine, were opening up to unmarried women. Social progress was by no means fast, nor linear. However, the legacy of the women who stepped up with courage to support their nation and defend their homes cannot be forgotten.
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