Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service ( ATS ; often pronounced as an acronym ) was the women ' s branch of the British Army during the Second World War . It was formed on 9 September 1938 , initially as a women ' s voluntary service , and existed until 1 February 1949 , when it was merged into the Women ' s Royal Army Corps . The ATS had its roots in the Women ' s Auxiliary Army Corps ( WAAC ) , which formed in 1917 as a voluntary service . During the First World War its members served in a number of jobs including clerks , cooks , telephonists and waitresses . The WAAC was disbanded after four years in 1921 . Prior to the Second World War , the government decided to establish a new Corps for women , and an advisory council , which included members of the Territorial Army ( TA ) , the Women ' s Transport Service and the Women ' s Legion , was set up . The council decided that the ATS would be attached to the Territorial Army , and the women serving would receive two thirds the pay of male soldiers . All women in the army joined the ATS except for nurses , who joined Queen Alexandra ' s Imperial Military Nursing Service ( QAIMS ) , and medical and dental officers , who were commissioned directly into the Army and held army ranks . The ATS in action . The first recruits to the ATS were employed as cooks , clerks and storekeepers . At the outbreak of the Second World War , 300 ATS members were billeted to France . As the German Army advanced through France , the British Expeditionary Force was driven back towards the English Channel . This led to the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk in May 1940 , and some ATS telephonists were among the last British personnel to leave the country . As more men joined the war effort , it was decided to increase the size of the ATS , with numbers reaching 65 , 000 by September 1941 . Women between the ages of 17 and 43 were allowed to join , although these rules were relaxed in order to allow WAAC veterans to join up to the age of 50 . The duties of members were also expanded , seeing ATS orderlies , drivers , postal workers and ammunition inspectors . The National Service Act . In December 1941 , Parliament passed the National Service Act , which called up unmarried women between 20 and 30 years old to join one of the auxiliary services . These were the ATS , the Women ' s Royal Naval Service ( WRNS ) , the Women ' s Auxiliary Air Force ( WAAF ) and the Women ' s Transport Service . Married women were also later called up , although pregnant women and those with young children were exempt . Other options under the Act included joining the Women ' s Voluntary Service ( WVS ) , which supplemented the emergency services at home , or the Women ' s Land Army , helping on farms . There was also provision made in the act for objection to service on moral grounds , as about a third of those on the conscientious objector s list were women . A number of women were prosecuted as a result of the act , some even being imprisoned . Despite this , by 1943 about 9 out of 10 women were taking an active part in the war effort . Women were barred from serving in battle , but due to shortages of men , ATS members , as well as members of the other women ' s voluntary services , took over many support tasks , such as radar operators , forming part of the crews of anti - aircraft gun s and military police . However , these roles were not without risk , and there were , according to the Imperial War Museum , 717 casualties during WW2 . By VE Day and before demobilization , there were over 190 , 000 members of the Women ' s Auxiliary Territorial Service . Famous members of the ATS included Mary Churchill , youngest daughter of the Prime Minister , and Princess ( later Queen ) Elizabeth , eldest daughter of the King , who trained as a lorry ( truck ) driver . Post - war . After the cessation of hostilities women continued to serve in the ATS , as well as in the WRNS and WAAF . It was succeeded by the Women ' s Royal Army Corps ( WRAC ) , which formed on 1 February 1949 under Army Order 6 . Ranks . Initially ranks were completely different from those of the army , but used the same rank insignia , although the crown was replaced by a laurel wreath . Members were required to salute their own superior officers , but not other organizations ' officers , although it was considered courteous to do so . On 9 May 1941 , the ATS rank structure was reorganized , and as of July 1941 the ATS was given full military status and members were no longer volunteers . The other ranks now held almost identical ranks to army personnel , but officers continued to have a separate rank system , that was somewhat modified . All uniforms and badges of rank remained the same , although crowns replaced laurel wreaths in the rank insignia . Members were now required to salute all superior officers . The only holders of chief controller were the first three directors , promoted to the rank on their appointment , and Princess Mary , who held it from 1939 and was appointed the ATS ' s honorary controller - commandant in August 1941 . When other ranks were assigned to mixed - sex batteries of Anti - Aircraft Command starting in 1941 , they were accorded the Royal Artillery versions of ranks : Gunner , Lance - Bombardier , and Bombardier .