Women’s wheels of WWII

Although the pronouncement from Munich promised peace, Britain, and France, still continued their re-armament programs and made arrangements for the civilian population in the event of war. This included the issuing of gas masks and plans to evacuate cities in the event of air raids. 

Throughout the 1930s a number of civilian volunteer organizations were created with the aim of supporting the government if and when war should break out. This included the Air Raid Precaution, ARP, which had been formed in 1937, and the Auxiliary Fire Service, AFS, which had been raised in 1938 as a branch of the Civil Defense Service, which had been created in 1935. All these groups were served by volunteers, each “doing their bit”. 

Another uniformed organization that proved its worth to Britain’s war effort was the Women’s Voluntary Service, WVS. Created by Lady Stella Isaacs, the Marchioness of Reading, it officially began in May 1938. Membership quickly rose and by the end of that year more than 32,000 women had enrolled in the organization. Lady Reading had been inspired to form the WVS after reading public information leaflets on how to prepare the country in the event of war. 

From the very beginning the aims of the WVS were clear, with members providing assistance to victims of the war, including supporting refugees and assisting those wounded during air raids. The basic uniform included a gray-green, front-buttoned dress and a pea-green colored beret with the WVS emblem. Typical of the humor from the time, some people rather unfairly referred to the initials as standing for Women of Various Sizes. 

During the war, WVS members provided hot food and helped shelter people whose homes had been destroyed in the bombings. Later, they would give aid to the thousands of returning troops who had been evacuated from Dunkirk. The first test for the WVS came 16 months after its formation when members assisted in coordinating the evacuation of some 1.5 million children from cities and bringing them to safer homes in the country. By 1942, 240,000 volunteers were working with the WVS in one of the 2,000 centers established across the 12 regions into which Britain was organized, including Scotland and Wales. Members came from all types of backgrounds, ranging from urban to rural communities, and by the end of the war there were some 1.3 million women enrolled. Some volunteers paid the ultimate price, with 245 members of the WVS eventually killed in air raids and hundreds more injured.

All of this required logistical support on a grand scale, which in turn meant transportation. However, after the declaration of war, Britain had implemented a number of restrictions, some of which would have an effect on civilian traffic. For example, a nationwide blackout scheme was implemented to prevent unnecessary lights from shining, so as not to reveal the exact location of towns and cities in the event of air raids. Regulations for motor vehicles were strict and drivers had to dim their headlights at night. The speed limit for driving in urban areas was reduced to 20 mph, to prevent accidents in the darkness. Even so, despite safety precautions being taken, the new regulations resulted in over 6,000 civilians killed between September and December 1939. 

In 1940 the death rate on the roads increased to 6,961, with 1,100 civilians killed in the first two months of the year. None of these deaths were attributable to enemy action. By the end of the war in 1945, the number of road deaths had reached 39,290 — more than half the number killed in air raids and V-weapon attacks. Attempts to reduce road fatalities included white lines being painted along the edges of pavement, lamp posts and other free-standing obstacles. Pedestrians were encouraged to wear something white or carry white umbrellas. Drivers painted white stripes along the edges of the wheel arches of their vehicles. Some extended the painted surfaces to include front and rear fenders. This measure was also extended to include civilian cars impressed into military service.

Another restriction motorists faced was petrol (gasoline) rationing, introduced on Sept. 16, 1939. Drivers not engaged on essential war work were limited to enough fuel to cover 1,800 miles annually. Ration books were issued with tokens and the annual allowance was regularly reduced until July 1942, when it was removed completely. In 1939, the population of Britain stood at around 48 million, with just fewer than 3.5 million civilian motor cars on the roads. Just before the outbreak of war the British Army was desperately short of soft-skinned vehicles for transportation and liaison roles. In an effort to remedy the problem the government resorted to requisitioning some 26,000 civilian vehicles, including 5,000 private cars, 7,000 motorcycles and 14,000 trucks for military service, some of which were purchased outright from their owners.  

The WVS had made provision for such an eventuality and had created a Transport Department within the organization. Using their own vehicles, volunteers were trained to drive in convoy both day and night. A special training course was created to familiarize them with driving in blackout conditions. Lessons in night driving were conducted in Regents Park in London and other public open spaces, where WVS drivers were taught to maneuver around obstacles and avoid other vehicles. In response to the possibility of a gas attack, women were taught to drive while wearing their respirators. 

The lack of driving instructors led to the WVS establishing courses which produced was some first-class drivers able to cope with all eventualities. These driving skills helped in negotiating around the rubble-strewn streets following air raids to pick up the injured and deliver supplies of food and clothing.

Vehicle-owning members of the WVS responded to the problem of transportation by placing their cars at the disposal of the organization and creating units referred to as Vehicle Car Pools (VCPs). It was a movement that would be continued throughout the war and helped to relieve the burden on emergency services such as the police and ambulance. At its height the scheme had 14,000 owner-drivers with 35,000 members volunteering for transport duties. In addition, the WVS also managed to purchase around 1,000 cars using donations provided by sources such as the American Red Cross and Commonwealth counties, including Australia and Canada. Volunteers who loaned their cars to the VCP scheme were given a certificate of exemption in place of the road fund licence, paid to allow usage of a vehicle on public roads, if they did not already receive a supplementary fuel allowance. The drivers providing their services to the VCP often delivered emergency supplies for hospitals, such as blood and medicines. The Ministry of Health called on VCPs to transport citizens that were less seriously injured to hospitals following air raids.

By 1944 the WVS had a fleet of almost 20,800 cars ranging from small family saloons (equivalent to a sedan design) such the Hillman 10 and Austin 7 all the way up to more luxurious types such as the Austin 10 Cambridge. These were spread out between the 570 VCPs established in the 12 regional areas across Britain. Records of the time show that during the course of one month alone volunteer drivers logged up almost 3,576,000 miles, using more than 107,000 gallons of fuel to drive doctors to hospitals, deliver food and support other volunteer organizations such as First Aid Party (FAP) and ARP Wardens. Each movement was strictly coordinated and details of every trip had to be recorded. The driver had to log when they used a vehicle from the VCP, filling in forms stating the reason for the journey, the number of miles and the amount of petrol used. WVS drivers were also given instruction on how to service and maintain their vehicles and handle tasks such as fixing flat tires.

The pre-war vehicles used in the VCP had all started off as civilian vehicles. Most they were British-built, produced by such companies such as the Rootes Group, with factories in Birmingham and Coventry where they were turning out vehicles under the Hillman marque. This included the Hillman Minx, a popular pre-war design, and the Hillman 10, with the numbers referring to the horsepower of the engine. 

The same types of civilian vehicles used by the WVS in the VCPs were also used by Britain’s armed forces, especially the Royal Air Force and the Army, which each had their own fleet of vehicles. For example, the Hillman Minx with its seven horsepower, water-cooled, gasoline engine was handy, reliable and easy to operate. Several types were developed, including a van, four-door saloon, two-door estate and a two-door coupé utility. First produced in 1931, it was fitted with 30-hp side-valve petrol engine which gave road speeds up to around 65 mph. It had a pressed-steel body with a wheelbase length of 7 ft. 8 inches, which made it perfectly suited for liaison duties for the RAF around air bases or travel between bases. The ladies of the WVS also found it suited their needs nicely and later some of these types were produced as utility or “Tilly” vehicles for such roles.

Today, items of WVS uniform and badges are very popular with collectors, as are pamphlets and booklets of the period. Photographs are also items of interest to collectors who attend shows and events where they mount displays. Members of the WVS who served through the war were eligible for the British Defence Medal and in 1961 a long-service medal was instituted. That means there are two versions for collectors to obtain:  WVS and WRVS. To date only 35,000 have been awarded.

Vehicles of the type used by the WVS are often incorporated into wartime re-enactments and parked up alongside other “militarized” examples of civilian vehicles from the period. Sometimes these vehicles are driven by female re-enactor-owners wearing full WVS uniform completes with either the pea-green beret or the alternative felt hat.

The British WVS organization was influential in the creation of branches in several overseas countries, including India, Canada and Australia, and the establishment of the American Women’s Voluntary Service in January 1940. The WVS had 235,000 members by the end of World War II. In 1966, the organization was granted a warrant to incorporate “Royal” into its title and become the WRVS. 

Times have changed and in post-war years men were gradually enrolled into branches, often serving with their wives. By 2004, there were some 60,000 men members, representing 11 percent of the membership. In 2013, the reference to women in the title was omitted and today the group is known simply as the RVS (Royal Voluntary Service). 

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