Women ' s Royal Australian Naval Service The Women ' s Royal Australian Naval Service ( WRANS ) was the womens ' branch of the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) . In 1941 , fourteen members of the civilian Women ' s Emergency Signals Corps ( WESC ) were recruited for wireless telegraphy work at the Royal Australian Navy Wireless / Transmitting Station Canberra , as part of a trial to free up men for service aboard ships . Although the RAN and the Australian government were initially reluctant to support the idea , the demand for seagoing personnel imposed by the Pacific War saw the WRANS formally established as a womens ' auxiliary service in 1942 . The surge in recruitment led to the development of an internal officer corps . Over the course of World War II , over 3 , 000 women served in the WRANS . The organisation was disbanded in 1947 , but was reestablished in 1951 in response to the manpower demand caused by Cold War commitments . In 1959 , the WRANS was designated a permanent part of the Australian military . The WRANS continued to operate until 1985 , when female personnel were integrated into the RAN . History . Origin . In March 1939 , Florence Violet McKenzie set up the Women ' s Emergency Signals Corps ( WESC ) as wireless telegraphy organisation for female volunteers . McKenzie established the WESC because of the threat of war , and her belief that training women in wireless telegraphy , morse code , and related skills meant they could free up men for military service . McKenzie and a small group of women trained themselves , but as demand for the training increased , a school was set up ; initially at McKenzie ' s electronics shop at the Royal Arcade , Sydney , then moving into a nearby former woolstore . By August 1940 , there was a waiting list of 600 women for the small school , and WESC - trained telegraphists were teaching men from the armed forces and merchant navy . The WESC school expanded to include visual signalling ( such the use of signal lamps and flag signals ) for merchant navy personnel , and pre - exam training for the Civil Aviation Authority qualification exam . Over 10 , 000 people were trained by the WESC school during its operation . Inspired by an article on the Women ' s Royal Naval Service , McKenzie contacted the RAN on several occasions to suggest that her telegraphists be employed by the RAN . Although initial letters were unanswered , she was contacted by the Director of Signals and Communications , who proposed an experimental trial . There was opposition from both the government and the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board , who only agreed to the trial if there was no publicity attached to the recruitment . Fourteen women from the WESC ( 12 telegraphists and 2 cooks ) were accepted for naval service on 28 April 1941 and employed at the Royal Australian Navy Wireless / Transmitting Station Canberra . Six months later , another nine women were recruited . Although treated as naval personnel , the women were technically civilian employees of the RAN . Despite the formation of womens ' auxiliaries in the Army and Air Force , the RAN remained reluctant to formally enlist the telegraphists . The increasing demand for manpower in the Pacific War resulted in a change of opinion in the RAN ; approval to form a Women ' s Royal Australian Naval Service of 580 personnel ( 280 telegraphists plus 300 other duties ) was granted on 24 July 1942 , and the initial WESC telegraphists were offered enlistment on 1 October 1942 . The scale of the response to recruitment campaigns during late 1942 prompted the RAN to establish an officer corps within the WRANS , with the first training course for female officers beginning at Flinders Naval Depot on 18 January 1943 . World War II . Women recruited into the WRANS were not permitted to serve at sea , but were able to fill most shore - based positions . WRANS performed a variety of duties , working as telegraphists , coders and clerks ; but also as drivers , education officers , mechanics , harbour messengers , cooks and sickberth attendants . Some WRANS worked for the Allied Intelligence Bureau , the Censorship Office , and the Allied Translation Section of General Douglas MacArthur ' s Order of Battle unit . WRANS personnel also served as domestic staff at Government House , Yarralumla , staffed the Honours section of the Governor - General ' s Office , ran a choir for charity performances and radio broadcasts , and published " Harmania " , a newspaper . Ruby Boye , the only woman to serve in the Coastwatchers organisation , was commissioned as an honorary WRANS officer . It was hoped that this commissioning ( along with the WRANS uniform air - dropped to her ) would see the Japanese treat her as a member of the armed forces if she was captured . Over 3 , 000 women enlisted in the WRANS during World War II , with over 2 , 500 active at the war ' s end : 10 % of the overall RAN strength , but significantly fewer than the 18 , 000 each in the Women ' s Auxiliary Australian Air Force and Australian Women ' s Army Service . The WRANS was disbanded in 1947 , with all personnel discharged by 1948 . 1951 reestablishment . In 1950 , pressure on naval manpower from Cold War commitments prompted the RAN to reestablish the WRANS . The decision was announced on 18 June 1950 , with formal inauguration at the start of 1951 . Wartime WRANS could re - enlist , but their previous service was not recognised for pay or advancement . Women could only occupy specifically designated shore posts , and would be discharged if they married or became pregnant . Despite these restrictions , there were 1 , 500 applications for the initial 250 positions . The WRANS operated on a policy of taking over shore duties to free up RAN personnel for at - sea service : a policy described as " a Wran in , a man out " . In December 1959 , the WRANS were granted permanent status . HRH Princess Alexandra was the Honorary Commandant of the WRANS . The WRANS ' senior officers campaigned to expand the service and remove restrictions that hampered recruitment and retention . In 1969 , the restriction on married women was removed , and the automatic discharge of pregnant women was dropped in 1974 . In 1975 , Prime Minister Gough Whitlam announced the intention to investigate the posting of women to ships on non - combat deployments . By 1978 , WRANS personnel were receiving equal pay to their RAN counterparts . Integration . The " Sex Discrimination Act 1984 " made separate womens ' branches for the Australian Defence Force unsustainable . In 1985 , the regulations relating to the WRANS were repealed , and female personnel were integrated into the RAN . Ranks and uniforms . For the first six months , WRANS used the green WESC uniform set up by McKenzie . Naval tailors copied the Women ' s Royal Naval Service uniform , and clothing was available by July 1941 , but without shoes . The uniform was a winter outfit with a jacket with two rows of three buttons , a skirt , blouse , hat , tie and underwear . Later a summer uniform with a dress , belt and socks was issued . The dress had a wide white collar and buttons down the front .