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History The First World War saw the formation of regular Women's Services in support of the Armed Forces and Dame Katharines Furse GBE was invited by the First Lord of the Admiralty to develop a 'Naval organisation of women'. She subsequently had discussions with the Second Sea Lord, the Director of Mobilisation, the Secretary to the Admiralty and an officer of the Royal Naval Air Service, and undertook to develop a scheme.
For the duration of its existence the Service was to provide personnel wherever the Admiralty required them to serve. Wrens carried out domestic and clerical duties, officers replaced paymasters, were secretaries to Admirals, coders and decoders; Wrens replaced writers, telephonists, telegraphists, signallers, storekeepers and draughstmen. They manned listening stations, fitted depth charges and paravanes in ships, attached floats to torpedo nets, cleaned boilers, washed life-belts and drove cars. They baked, painted, cleaned and ran accomodation hostels and did a myriad of jobs which released men for sea service. ... more to come ... please check back for future updates ...
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Three women, Dame Katharine, Mrs. Tilla Wallace and Miss Edith Crowdy drafted
the terms of service, pay, allowances and regulations, and designed a suitable uniform.
His Majesty The King approved the formation of the Service and, on 29 November 1917, an
Admiralty Office memorandum announced its establishment and recruiting for officers was
commenced.
Much of the information and pictures for the history section were taken from
The WRNS A History of the Women's Royal Naval Service by M.H. FLETCHER,
1989. Published in the United States of America and Canada by the Naval Institute Press,
Annapolis, Maryland 21402. 
