The Women's Voluntary Service
The WVS - A Brief History
The Women's Voluntary Service(WVS) was set up in 1938 and became one of the largest women's organisations. The WVS's watchword was, 'Never say no'. The Home Help Service was one of the most important ones run by the WVS. They did jobs such as washing, housework and caring for children and elderly people. Some of the WVS members ran canteens, air-raid shelters, rest rooms and National Day Nurseries.
Several other organisations which organised women's voluntary work were the British Red Cross Society and Women's Institutes. The British Red Cross Society required volunteers with first-aid and medical skills. The Women's Institute required volunteers for jam-making and other activities such as collecting scrap metal.
One thing is certain, the Second World War provided the perfect platform for the self sacrificing part of many women's nature.
In June 1938, the Women's Voluntary Service For Air Raid Precaution (to give it its original name) was formed. The membership was essentially middle class, mirrored in the bottle green coats and conspicuous hats for which the volunteers had to pay.
Early tasks which fell to the women of the Women's Voluntary Service for ARP was evacuation and the lesser known job of making medical supplies, bandages (made from old sheets), nursing gowns and pyjamas.
In February 1939, with the role of the Women's Voluntary Service for ARP ever expanding, the name was changed to the Women's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence, although to most, they were simply known as the WVS.
The WVS - Wartime Duties
Much of the WVS wartime duties focused around the aftermath of air raids. As the following list suggests, there was an awful lot of valuable work that the WVS did, especially considering that these days, their past efforts and importance is barely remembered.
Clothing was also collected and placed in special WVS clothing stores. These would then be accessed when people who had been 'bombed out' of their homes following air raids, required clothing. Mothers too could also exchange clothes which became too small for their children.
Harvesting of Rosehips - Once collected, these rosehips were turned into a vitamin enriched syrup which the WVS volunteers would then hand out to mothers and babies.
Housewives Service - The WVS also participated in something called the Housewives service where each volunteer was allocated an area of the city in which they resided, to assist with immediate aid (NOT first aid) should incidents of emergency arise following air raid bombings.
Information Centres - After air raids the WVS volunteers would be responsible for the running of information centres, assisting those civilians affected most by the bombings. This included the tracing of missing or wounded people.
Rest Centres and Mobile Canteens - The WVS volunteers provided hot drinks and snacks to both the Civil Defence workers and those people 'bombed out' and injured as a direct result of air raids.
Looking after the Older Generation - Volunteers would visit and give comfort to elderly people who often felt the strain of home front war conditions so much more than the young.
Re-Homing Gift Scheme - The WVS volunteers ran this scheme to assist those civilians who had lost all of their belongings during air raid attacks.
Re-Homing - The women of the WVS organised temporary accommodation for those people whose homes were destroyed during air raids.
Discussions - The WVS organised talks on such issues as 'Make do and Mend'.
Evacuation of Children - The WVS volunteers were involved in the billeting of children to their new homes, far away from the dangers of city bombings.
Civil Defence Support - The WVS also helped to support the;
Air Raid Precaution (ARP)
Local Fire Brigades and Auxiliary Fire Services (later merged as the National Fire Service in 1941)
Ambulance drivers
Public transport drivers
The Home Guard
and
Civilians.
Distribution of Leaflets - The WVS produced and distributed information leaflets. One such leaflet was the "Information on bed-wetting for householders taking in unaccompanied children" which was issued in December 1939 specifically to those families taking in evacuees.
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