UK, Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps Service Records, 1917-1920

Source Information

Ancestry.com. UK, Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps Service Records, 1917-1920 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022.
Original data: WO 398: War Office: Women's Army Auxiliary Corps: Service Records, First World War. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives.

About UK, Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps Service Records, 1917-1920

This collection contains records for those who served in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corp (later known as Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps) from 1917-1920. Most records are handwritten in English on pre-printed forms. Correspondence found in the collection may be typed or handwritten.

Types of records in this collection may include:

  • Application forms
  • Enrollment forms
  • Certificates of identification
  • Certificates of discharge
  • Correspondence
  • Medical history forms
  • Casualty forms for active service, which were recorded when personnel switched units
  • References from employers
  • Clothing history sheets, which contain details about uniforms

    • Using this collection

    Records in the collection may include the following information:

  • Name, including maiden name if married
  • Birth place
  • Birthdate
  • Age
  • Residence
  • Level of education
  • Marital status
  • Nationality
  • Occupation
  • Date and place of enlistment
  • Date and place of discharge
  • Service number
  • Nationality of family members
  • Father's occupation
  • Names and addresses of next of kin
  • Relationship to next of kin

    • Records in this collection may include multiple pages. Click the arrow to the right of the record image to access the rest of the record.

    Many women left the WAAC in 1918 to join the newly formed Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF). If you can't find a record, try checking Ancestry's collection of WRAF service records.

    If you aren't sure of your ancestor's marital status during her service, it's useful to search by both her maiden and married names.

    Collection in context

    The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps was created in 1917 in order to reserve men for combat roles and members of the WAAC were employed in a variety of non-combat roles to aid the war effort. Outside of nursing, it was the first time women were included in official British military roles. Support roles available to the WAAC included cooking, waitressing, administrative work, and cleaning. In 1918, Queen Mary became the patron of the WAAC and the unit changed its name to the Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC).

    The QMAAC was disbanded in 1921 following the end of the war. Though they did not see combat, the members of the QMAAC still faced danger; eighty-one members of the QMAAC died in service. Approximately 57,000 women served in the QMAAC during the course of the First World War; however, only about 7,000 records remain as the majority of records were destroyed by a German air raid in 1940.

    Bibliography

    The National Archives. "Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Service Records." Last modified 10 February 2017. https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/womens-army-auxiliary-corps-service-records-1917-1920/.

    National Army Museum. "Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps." Last modified 2022. https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/queen-marys-army-auxiliary-corps.