Greatcoats and Glamour Boots

Women in the military? To many, never was too soon. But by 1940, British women were out «doing their bit» for the war effort, and Canadians battled for that same right. Young Canadian women wanted to serve their country, «to free a man to fight,» as the recruiting posters urged. By the war’s end almost 50,000 of them were in the forces. Carolyn Gossage has compiled a fascinating collage of anecdotal and documentary material. The colourful story of Canada’s «forgotten women» – those who volunteered for service during World War II in the RCAF Women’s division, the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) and the Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (Wrens) – entertains and enlightens.