Proudly She Served

Shows the many important roles that women took on as a crucial part of the war effort, from munitions factories to the secret service.

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‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ the posters declared - an example of the stoic qualities of endurance and forbearance that the British Government wanted to encourage in those left behind on the home front in the Second World War. But it soon became clear that this conflict would demand much more of the female population of Britain than ever before. It would take decisive action, bravery and sacrifice, to which the women of Britain stepped up. The National Service Act called women into vital war work in both military and civilian organisations. Despite their non-combatant status they performed dangerous tasks in life-threatening situations, often without the means to defend themselves from the enemy.

From the dangers posed by explosives and chemicals in the munitions factories and the Air Raid Precautions officers who would run into burning buildings, to the women of the Air Auxiliary Transport who flew Spitfires and Hurricanes unarmed, and the secret agents of the Special Operations Executive who were dropped behind enemy lines - ‘Proudly She Served’ pays tribute to the everyday acts of heroism and the contribution to the war effort that the women of Britain accomplished; without which the war simply could not have been won.