Women were trained as wireless telegraphists to free men for war duties, leading to the formation of the WRANS in 1941.
Established by the first qualified Australian female electrical engineer, Florence Violet McKenzie OBE, the Women’s Emergency Signalling Corps (WESC) trained women to be wireless telegraphists and signallers with the aim of releasing men from this work for war service.
Portrait of Mrs Florence Violet McKenzie, the founder of the Women's Emergency Signallers Corps (WESC).
Outdoor group portrait of some of the first members of the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS).
McKenzie, known as Mrs Mac, campaigned tirelessly for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to accept her skilled female telegraphists into their services. The RAN was the first to do so, and in April 1941 the first 14 members of the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) moved to Canberra to begin work at HMAS Harman.
These women shared four cottages on the naval base, with one cottage run by the stewards as their mess. The WRANS were expected to work a full cycle of shifts in the wireless room, and to maintain their living quarters, which were out of bounds to the men. Within months these trailblazing women had proved their skill and dedication as workers, and the number of enlisted WRANS grew to 1,000. Over the course of the war, up to 3,000 WRANS served as telegraphists, coders, drivers, cooks and more. The WESC went on to train thousands of servicemen in Morse code, as well as continuing to support the development of these skills in women.
Marion Stevens reflects on her time with the WRANS
Even when I first learnt morse at Mrs `Mac's' we never really thought the navy or any service would take women in to do that work.
We knew they would have them as nurses and probably AAMWS and that sort of thing, but it was beyond our wildest dreams that we would ever be doing that sort of work.
Although it was proved we were just as good as the men and did the same job and everything worked out well for everybody concerned.
WRANS gardening outside their cottage at HMAS Harman.
WRANS at work in the wireless telegraphy room, HMAS Harman.
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