How to research the role of women in World War 2

At the outbreak of global conflict in 1939, thousands of women volunteered for service on the home front. By December 1941, the National Service Act had introduced conscription for women aged 20 to 30.

British women could perform voluntary service in several key organisations:

• The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), supporting the British Army
• The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), assisting the RAF
• The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), working alongside the Royal Navy
• The Women's Land Army (WLA), sustaining food production
• The Women's Transport Service (FANY)

You can explore what life was like within these organisations via the Findmypast blog.

Beyond these volunteer roles, many women worked in munitions factories, civil defence, nursing, transport and codebreaking, including at Bletchley Park.

Understanding this structure helps to frame your research: once you know where women could serve, you can begin identifying relevant records.

Even if you're not tracing a direct ancestor, genealogy records provide the clearest window into women’s wartime experiences, from jobs to shifting family dynamics.

Searching the 1939 Register on Findmypast is an essential starting point. Taken on 29 September 1939, it records names, addresses, dates of birth and occupations at the very beginning of the war. It often reveals early wartime roles such as ARP warden, aircraft worker or Land Girl. It also captures later name changes, making it invaluable for tracking women who married during or after the war.

For women who joined auxiliary services, you can explore relevant Findmypast collections such as:

• British Army, ATS Service Records and Medal Rolls
• Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) records
• Royal Air Force and WAAF service records
• Second World War Prisoner of War records (in rare cases involving overseas service)

You may also find women listed in civil defence records, military casualty lists, and local electoral registers.

It's a good idea to build a timeline using these sources. Note a woman's occupational changes, service numbers, addresses and movements. Together, they help you see how women’s experiences evolved between 1939 and 1945.

Newspapers bring wartime women into sharper focus.

Local papers reported on enlistments, awards, fundraising drives, factory achievements and community initiatives. Photographs of ATS drivers, WAAF radar operators or Land Girls harvesting crops frequently appeared in regional titles.

The Sphere, 22 November 1941.

You can search Findmypast's British and Irish newspaper archive using a full name alongside terms like 'ATS', 'WAAF', 'WRNS', 'Land Army', or a town name. If researching more broadly, search by organisation or workplace to understand how women's service was reported locally.

Newspapers also help you contextualise daily life in wartime Britain: air raids, rationing changes, evacuation schemes and morale campaigns. Reading issues from a specific week can reveal what women were experiencing in real time.

Research doesn’t end with discovery. Preserving and organising what you find ensures women's stories of strength and sacrifice remain visible.

In a family tree

If you are researching your female ancestors, you can record their confirmed roles, service numbers, units and occupations within an online family tree. Attach their 1939 Register entry, service records and newspaper clippings directly to an individual’s profile.

Adding a short written summary of wartime activities can also help future researchers understand the significance of those records at a glance.

In a Collection on Findmypast

You can also create a dedicated Collection on Findmypast to group together relevant newspaper clippings. Whether focused on one woman, one family, or a wider local study, this approach allows you to curate material thematically.

Over time, these Collections become curated archives, preserving not only official records, but the wider history of women’s wartime service.