Women's Royal Naval Service

A WRNS rating during the Second World War

Two Ordnance Wrens in Liverpool reassemble a section of a pom-pom gun during the Second World War.

The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the beginning of the Second World War, remaining active until integrated into the Royal Navy in 1993. WRNs included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics.

History

The Wrens were formed in 1917 during the First World War. On 10 October 1918, nineteen-year-old Josephine Carr from Cork, became the first Wren to die on active service, when her ship, the RMS Leinster was torpedoed. By the end of the war the WRNS had 5,500 members, 500 of them officers. In addition, about 2,000 members of the WRAF had previously served with the WRNS supporting the Royal Naval Air Service and were transferred on the creation of the Royal Air Force. It was disbanded in 1919.

The WRNS was revived in 1939 at the beginning of the Second World War, with an expanded list of allowable activities, including flying transport planes. At its peak in 1944 it had 75,000 active servicewomen. During the war there were 100 deaths. One of the slogans used in recruiting posters was "Join the Wrens—free a man for the fleet."

In the 1970s it became obvious that equal pay for women and the need to remove sexual discrimination meant that the WRNS and the Royal Navy would become one organisation. The key change was that women would become subject to the Naval Discipline Act 1957. Vonla McBride who had experience in Human resource management became the Director of the WRNS in 1976 and members of the WRNS were subject to the same discipline as men as of 1977.^[1]

The WRNS remained in existence after the war and was finally integrated into the regular Royal Navy in 1993 when women were allowed to serve on board navy vessels as full members of the crew. In October 1990, during the Gulf War, HMS Brilliant carried the first women to officially serve on an operational warship.^[2] That same year, Chief Officer Pippa Duncan became the first WRNS officer to command a Royal Navy shore establishment.^[3]^[4]

Before 1993, all women in the Royal Navy were members of the WRNS except nurses, who joined (and still join) Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service, and medical and dental officers, who were commissioned directly into the Royal Navy, held RN ranks, and wore WRNS uniform with gold RN insignia. Female sailors are still known by the nicknames "wrens" or Jennies ("Jenny Wrens") in naval slang.

Ranks and uniform

The WRNS had its own ranking system, which it retained until amalgamation into the Royal Navy in 1993.

1917–1919 ranks	1939–1993 ranks
Officers	Ratings		Commissioned Officers
WRNS rank	WRNS rank	Equivalent RN rank	WRNS rank	Equivalent RN rank
Assistant Principal	Ordinary Wren	Ordinary Seaman	Third Officer	Sub-Lieutenant
Deputy Principal	Wren	Able Seaman	Second Officer	Lieutenant
Principal	Leading Wren	Leading Seaman	First Officer	Lieutenant-Commander
Deputy Divisional Director	Petty Officer Wren	Petty Officer	Chief Officer	Commander
Divisional Director	Chief Wren	Chief Petty Officer	Superintendent	Captain
Deputy Assistant Director			Director (until 1951) Commandant (from 1951)^[5]	Rear-Admiral (until 1946) Commodore (from 1946)
Assistant Director			Commandant (until 1951) Chief Commandant (from 1951)^[6]	Rear-Admiral
Deputy Director
Director

Ratings' titles were suffixed with their trade (e.g. Leading Wren Cook, Chief Wren Telegraphist).

Wrens wore the same rank insignia as their male equivalents, but in blue instead of gold. The "curls" atop officers' rank stripes were diamond-shaped instead of circular.

From 1939, Wren uniform consisted of a double-breasted jacket and skirt, with shirt and tie, for all ranks (although similar working dress to the men could also be worn). Junior Ratings wore hats similar to those of their male counterparts (although with a more sloping top). Senior Ratings (Petty Officers and above) and officers wore tricorne hats with a white cover. All insignia, including cap badges and non-substantive (trade) badges, were blue.

List of Directors

Dame Katharine Furse, 1917–1919
Dame Vera Laughton Mathews, 1939–1946
Dame Jocelyn Woollcombe, 1946–1950
Commandant Dame Mary Lloyd, 1950–1954
Commandant Dame Nancy Robertson, 1954–1958
Commandant Dame Elizabeth Hoyer-Millar, 1958–1960
Commandant Dame Jean Davies, 1961–1964
Commandant Dame Margaret Drummond, 1964–1967
Commandant Dame Marion Kettlewell, 1967–1970
Commandant Daphne Blundell, 1970–1973
Commandant Mary Talbot, 1973–1976
Commandant Vonla McBride, 1976–1979
Commandant Elizabeth Craig-McFeely, 1979–1982
Commandant Patricia Swallow, 1982–1985
Commandant Marjorie Fletcher, 1985–1988
Commandant Anthea Larken, 1988–1991
Commandant Anne Spencer, 1991–1993

Notes

↑ Vat, Dan van der (2003-08-13). "Commandant Vonla McBride". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
↑ History of the Women's Royal Naval Service and its integration into the Royal Navy
↑ Stuart Mason, Ursula (2011). Britannia's Daughters. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-84884-678-4.
↑ "Pipping Rest to Post". Navy News. March 1990. p. 11 – via issuu.
↑ Until 1951, Director was both a position and a rank. In 1951, the rank of Commandant was introduced for the officer holding the position of Director. Director equated to Rear-Admiral until 1946, when it was reduced to Commodore. In common with RN Commodores, after 1946 Director/Commandant was only an appointment and not a true rank and the Directors continued to hold the substantive rank of Superintendent.
↑ Honorary rank held by a member of the Royal Family. Until 1951, the position was called Commandant, but was renamed in that year due to the introduction of Commandant as the rank for the Director WRNS. Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent was Commandant, and later Chief Commandant, from 1940 until her death in 1968. She was succeeded by Princess Anne, who held the appointment from 1974 until 1993, when she became Chief Commandant for Women, Royal Navy; she now holds the honorary rank of Vice-Admiral.

External links

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[1] Vat, Dan van der (2003-08-13). "Commandant Vonla McBride". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-09.

[2] History of the Women's Royal Naval Service and its integration into the Royal Navy

[3] Stuart Mason, Ursula (2011). Britannia's Daughters. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-84884-678-4.

[4] "Pipping Rest to Post". Navy News. March 1990. p. 11 – via issuu.

[5] Until 1951, Director was both a position and a rank. In 1951, the rank of Commandant was introduced for the officer holding the position of Director. Director equated to Rear-Admiral until 1946, when it was reduced to Commodore. In common with RN Commodores, after 1946 Director/Commandant was only an appointment and not a true rank and the Directors continued to hold the substantive rank of Superintendent.

[6] Honorary rank held by a member of the Royal Family. Until 1951, the position was called Commandant, but was renamed in that year due to the introduction of Commandant as the rank for the Director WRNS. Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent was Commandant, and later Chief Commandant, from 1940 until her death in 1968. She was succeeded by Princess Anne, who held the appointment from 1974 until 1993, when she became Chief Commandant for Women, Royal Navy; she now holds the honorary rank of Vice-Admiral.