000			02191pam a2200289 a 4500
001			8201147
003			OSt
005			20170523144448.0
008			040115s2004 nz ac b 000 0 eng
020			_a0143019120 (pbk.) : _c$35.00
035			_a(NLNZils)933883
035			_a(Nz)8201147
035			_a(OCoLC)58729712
040			_aNZNB _cNZNB
082	0	4	_a940.548193 _222
100	1		_915348 _aDawson, Bee, _d1954- _eauthor.
245	1	0	_aSpreading their wings : _bNew Zealand WAAFs in wartime / _cBee Dawson.
260			_aAuckland, N.Z. : _bPenguin, _c2004.
300			_a207 p. : _bill., ports. ; _c23 cm.
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 207).
520			_aWhen the Second World War broke out in 1939, the idea of women working in the Armed Forces was considered quite radical, in spite of a long tradition of Army nurses. The first women of the WAAF were greeted with opposition and disapproval, but by the end of the war they had become respected members of the Armed Forces. Most WAAFs began serving in support roles, but as the war progressed increasing numbers were trained to do 'men's jobs' such as instrument repair or armoury instruction. Many WAAFs lacked formal education and often knew little about 'the facts of life'. They joined up as girls and demobbed as mature women, tempered by war, the loss of loved ones and a world forever changed. They drew great strength from each other and their friendships have survived the post-war decades. Bee Dawson's interviews with these pioneering women reveal a diverse range of experience, from the excited fear surrounding the sighting of a Japanese spy plane to the tragedy of a plane crash; from improvised wedding breakfasts to living in huts so cold their lipsticks froze. For many young women, this was undoubtedly the time of their lives.
610	1	0	_aNew Zealand. _bRoyal New Zealand Air Force. _bWomen's Auxiliary Air Force _xHistory.
650		0	_aWorld War, 1939-1945 _vPersonal narratives, New Zealand. _94714 _xPersonal narratives, New Zealand. _zItaly
650		0	_aWorld War, 1939-1945 _xParticipation, Female.
710	1		_aNew Zealand. _bRoyal New Zealand Air Force.
942			_2ddc _cNZNONFIC
999			_c6640 _d6640