War Office: Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC)...

This series consists predominantly of service records of women (not officers) who served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC) as part of the British Army during and after the Second World War, and up until 1963.

The types of documents that are most commonly found within the service records comprising this series are:

• Attestation forms, which are the documents signed by the new recruit, or created upon transfer between units;

• Statement of service, which outline an individual's postings whilst in service;

• Discharge forms, which were issued when a soldier left the regiment;

• A variety of supporting correspondence.

Some pieces appear to have been organised according to surname or date of birth, however for large parts of this series there is no discernible order to the pieces.

For Infantry Over Age Other Ranks see WO 422

First world War soldiers' documents are in WO 364

For soldier's service records relating to the Royal Artillery see WO 428

For Women's Services in East Africa, Nurses and Other Ranks see WO 427

For soldier's service records relating to the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) see WO 420

For soldiers' service records pre-1914 see WO 97

For soldier's service records relating to selected smaller corps during the Second World War period see WO 421

Ministry of Defence From 2024

Topics

Army

Conflict

Armed Forces (General Administration)

Operations, battles and campaigns

Sex and gender

The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) was formed in September 1938, the majority of its members seeing service during the Second World War, and its members provided a variety of non-combatant roles. All women conscripted into the British Army, except for nurses, found themselves in the ATS.

Formed in 1949 to replace the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC) carried out a variety of roles until its disbandment in 1992. When formed, it initially absorbed existing members of the ATS into its ranks. A small selection of the service records for individuals in the WRAC, including some who may have previously seen service in the ATS can also be found in this series.