Evening star., 1943-12-29
WAAFS' ComInandant
Recalls Bitter Days
OF Blitz on Britain
BY the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, Dec. 29.-Among the
multitude of women in uniform on
Fifth Avenue, the two in RAF blue
were not conspicuous. There was
only, at second glance, an impress
sive amount of gold braid on the
elder ones service cap.
There was nothing to indicate
they had any more pressing duties
at hand than Christmas shopping
Actually, they had just completed
inspection tours in Canada and
conferences with the WACS' Col
Oveta Culp Hobby and Mrs. Roose-
velt in Washington.
On the register of their East Side
hotel they were inscribed as Air
Chief Commandant K J. Trefusis
Forbes and Squad Officer Barbara
Holmes.
Their organization is Britain's
Womens Auxiliary Air Force. Com
mandant Forbes title gives her
status equivalent to RAF directors
of the Air Ministry, rank on par
with a British vice air marshal or
United States major general,
has rank equivalent to major.
Holds Important Job.
The commandment whose energy
is so concentrated she seems to be
moving around even while sitting
still, is more than the WAAFS' Su-
preme active commander. She is
one of three women responsible for
giving Britain a nucleus of women
officers around which great corps
of emergency workers could be built
quickly when England entered the
war.
It's a story that goes back to
1885 and tea at Miss Forbes fat in
London.
Her guests were the Viscountess
1renchard and Dame Helen Gwynne
Vaughn. All three served in the
last war-Trefusis Forbes at the
age of Is when she left school to
drive ambulances and trucks.
All three believed war was coming
again and they determined to or
ganize group of women trained
in administrative work who would
be geared for military duty when
the need came.
Women Organized.
Under the auspices of the Ministry
Of War and the Raj, they set up
volunteer emergency service-three
years before the alarm sounded
loud enough in England to bring
about formation of the ATS-Brit-
AIMS WACS.
Trefusis Forbes was chief in
structor for the ATS until June,
1889, when the air companies were
made part of the RAF Then she
was made director of the new group,
the WAAFS.
Two months later, just before
Germany marched into Poland, pub
lie appeals for recruitment were
used for the first time.
Says Air Chief Commandant
Forbes, in her unusual voice which
holds wells of enthusiasm, They
rolled up in thousands. We in
creased by $4,000 in 10 weeks"
There never was any question of
Uomens usefulness in Britain.
During the battle of Britain the only
concern was to get planes into the
air.
You must remember" says Tre-
fusls Forbes, our pilots were fight
ing to l, 10 to and 20 to /.
Whatever you could do, YOU did"
Raid Is Recalled.
It's hard even for the chief air
commandant to recapture COM
pletely those times of desperation
for they developed into times of
steeled calmneSs.
Il remember once I was debating :"
she says, when they came over
AS they bombed, l remarked, there
is a big one" When the letter
came back for her signature, in
Corporated into its teXt-because
she had said it in the same tone
of voice as her dictating-was there
Is a big one
At one post, things kept getting
knocked out says Trefusis Forbes.
water mains, gas pipes, sleeping
accommodations - now that" in
serious understatement-"is very
convenient.
There were four cookhouses at
this field. Three cookhouseS and
one sleeping barracks were knocked
out at one moment. Feeding's no
Joke. You've got to be fed"
Men Fed in Shifts.
BY running continuous meals, the
men were fed in shifts AS for
sleeping, Miss Forbes is casual "Oh,
you doubled up, slept on the floor,
slept anywhere"
Yet, even while the blitz progress
sed, the WAAFS whose purpose is
to release men for combat duty,
began to branch into specialized
fields. From orderlieS. clerical
workers, they became skilled me-
shanical, electrical, radio workers.
BY early 1943 they had expanded
70 78 times their original size.
WAAFS are serving now in Brit
ain, Canada, the United States and
North Africa-Where Commandant
Forbes is heading next