The Army Girls

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BBC Radio 4 - The Army Girls

80 years after female conscription, the final few tell their extraordinary WW2 stories.

80 years ago women were conscripted into the UK armed forces. The final few tell their extraordinary stories of the Auxiliary Territorial Service and how it changed their lives.

80 years after female conscription, the final few tell their extraordinary World War Two stories as part of the ATS. 
By war's end, 290,000 women of all backgrounds had served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. It may have had a less glamorous image than its naval and air force counterparts but the ATS was by far the biggest military service for women. 
Initially the ATS had a reputation for dull demeaning work. That changed in 1941. In December of that year, for the first time in British history, young single women had to join Britain's war effort. Their choice of jobs expanded dramatically.  Dr Tessa Dunlop unpacks some of the controversies that accompanied putting girls, en masse, into military uniform. With a rich cast of veterans she examines the impact and legacy of Britain's female army. Class, comrades, conflict, loss, love, work - for a generation of young women military service was life-changing. 

Presenter: Dr. Tessa Dunlop
Producer: John Murphy

Archive in the programme from BFI National Archive and British Pathe

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