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Women of WWII in England: 'gaining respect, proving their worth'

Canadian women were not allowed to fight during the Second World War but they did just about everything else. Tens of thousands joined the women's divisions of the Armed Forces. Hundreds of thousands stepped into jobs in wartime industry. At home and abroad they were welders and pilots, nurses and clerks, the homemakers that kept families together, protecting the home front and the Canadian way of life. These are some of their stories.

Canadian women are doing their bit both at home and abroad, but in England the women are doing even more - and doing it as bombs drop all around them. CWAC Capt. Cecile Bouchard has just returned from Britain where she marvelled to see women fighting fires, signalling anti-aircraft batteries, welding, marching on drills and cooking with next to no supplies. She uses these recollections as inspiration for CBC Radio's Talk For Women. 
. England was heavily bombed throughout the war, but the "London Blitz" attack had a terrible impact on civilians. Beginning on Sept. 7, 1940, German bombers began attacking industrial and civilian centres in London. The city was bombed continually for 57 days in an attempt to demoralize the population. Fires raged throughout London as civilians hid in shelters and subway stations. Many children were sent to safer rural areas or to North America for their protection.

. The London Blitz ended in May 1941 when the Germans began preparing to invade Russia.
. The word "blitz" comes from the German "blitzkrieg" or "lightning strike."
. Almost one million British women took on full-time or part-time war work. Organizations like the Women's Voluntary Service, set up by the government in 1938, helped coordinate the effort.
Medium: Radio
Program: Talk for Women
Broadcast Date: Aug. 27, 1943
Guest(s): Cecile Bouchard
Duration: 10:30
Photo: Canada. Dept. of National Defence / National Archives of Canada / PA-108181

Last updated: March 8, 2012

Page consulted on March 20, 2013

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