WAAF'IN ABOUT

Hello All,

Throughout the autumn I am planning on doing a piece by piece episode of W.A.A.F kit, including detailed photos and descriptions of each item. Before I do, I thought I'd tell you a little about what I've been up to in the last days of the season ....

Last month (21-23rd of September) at the Duxford branch of the Imperial War Museum at their Battle of Britain Air Show, my penultimate event of 2018.

If you don’t know already, Duxford was an active air base in both the first and second world war. It was home to the infamous 19 squadron in the Battle of Britain, which the guys in Spirit of Britain portrayed (check them out in the newspaper !) then later on, a bomber station for the USAF.

During it’s active service Duxford would have also been home to many a W.A.A.F, from plotters to fitters, nurses to parachute packers. A woman’s presence would have definitely been felt.

I wore the W.A.A.F other ranks service dress, which is badged up as Leading Aircrafts Woman and the Other Ranks cap which is made up of a light serge four pocket tunic and skirt. My kit is all original and is dated between 1942 and 1943, although unlike the ATS the W.A.A.F’s service dress remained unchanged throughout the duration of the war. I wore this with the RAF blue O.R shirt, which has a very faint zig-zig pattern rather than the classic end-on-end officers shirt, not forgetting a black wool tie.

On my very, very cold legs are a pair of original W.A.A.F service weight Stockings in a grey rayon lisle and the standard issue W.A.A.F apron front shoes, which although they may look clompy and hard, are actually my most comfortable shoes.

I have a W.A.A.F greatcoat too and I was incredibly grateful for it all weekend, especially early in the morning and late at night. I’ll show it to you another time though, as it needs new buttons and some insignia.

Anyway ! hope you enjoy the forthcoming series on W.A.A.F kit.

TTFN x

Image Credit - IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM (DUXFORD)