ASSOCIATION OF WRENS (Royal Navy) membership enamel badge

Postage is extra.

For sale is a vintage membership badge of the Association of WRENS, an old comrades association of the Women's Royal Naval Service (Royal Navy).

The Association of WRENS (AoW) were established in 1920 as the WRNS Friendly Association and during the 1940’s renamed as The Society of WRENS. Membership of the AoW is still active and open to all former members of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), the Women’s Royal Naval Reserve (WRNR) and VADs (Voluntary Aid Detachments - military nurses) together with past and currently serving women of the Royal Navy.

The WRNS were first established as part of the Royal Navy in November 1917 and disbanded after the war on the 1st October 1919. The initial purpose for forming the WRNS was to release shore-based Royal Navy men for active duty at sea. They WRNS were revived in 1939 shortly after the outbreak of WW2 and remained as such until disbanded in 1993. Members of the WRNS are popularly known by the nickname 'WRENS' and by 1944 their numbers had peaked at around 74,000. By the 1970’s the roles of the WRENS were becoming more integrated within the Royal Navy and in 1993 the WRNS and the Royal Navy were formally combined. Since then, all women of the Royal Navy are allowed to serve on board navy vessels as full members of the crew and at all ranks.

Before 1993, the roles of the WRNS were mainly supportive and their activities varied widely: administration, cooks and stewards, despatch riders, mail makers, Intelligence services, radio operators, meteorologists, bomb range markers, Cypher Officers, coders, boat’s crew WRENS, electricians, mechanics and more. Also prior to 1993, female nurses of the Royal Navy were members of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service but not the WRNS. Since 1993, all female members including nurses have equal access to jobs within the Royal Navy and at all ranks and in fully combatant roles, as the men do. In 2016, there were 2,740 women serving in the Royal Navy, about 9% of the navy’s total personnel.

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DESCRIPTION:
Size: about 13/16" x 1 1/16" (21mm x 27mm).
Material(s): Brass metal with 2 vitreous enamels.
Finish: Gilt.
Fitting: Pin.
Imprint: none.
Approximate age: c.1960's to c.1970's.

CONDITION:
Excellent condition. No damage. No scratches. Pin tight and in good working order.
Please see photograph(s), these form part of the description.

POSTAGE:
* Postal costs are extra, additional to the Asking Price
* I always get a proof-of-posting certificate.
* I combine postal costs for multiple items when these are paid for AND posted at the same time. The combined postal cost will depend on the package size and weight. Please contact me before payment to arrange this.

RETURNS:
* Return accepted if the item(s) is returned in same condition it left me, then the full Agreed Asking Price will be refunded. Postal costs are not refundable.
* Buyer pays the return postal costs - unless agreed otherwise.

B.29