First Aid Nursing Yeomanry The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry ( Princess Royal ' s Volunteer Corps ) ( FANY ( PRVC ) ) is a British independent all - female unit and registered charity affiliated to , but not part of , the Territorial Army , formed in 1907 and active in both nursing and intelligence work during the World Wars . Formation . It was formed as the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry in 1907 as a first aid link between the field hospital s and the front lines , and was given the " yeomanry " title as all its members were originally mounted on horseback . Unlike nursing organisations , the FANY saw themselves rescuing the wounded and giving first aid , similar to a modern combat medic . Their founder , Sergeant Major , later Captain , Edward Baker , a veteran of the Sudan Campaign and the Second Boer War , felt that a single rider could get to a wounded soldier faster than a horse - drawn ambulance . Each woman was trained not only in first aid but signalling and drilling in cavalry movements . The original uniform was a scarlet tunic with white facings , a navy blue riding skirt with three rows of white braid at the bottom and a hard topped scarlet hat with black leather peak . In 1912 the uniform was changed to a khaki tunic , khaki riding skirt and later a khaki soft cap . Leaders of FANY included Grace McDougall and Lillian Franklin . World War I . During World War I , lieutenants McDougall and Franklin , arrived in Calais on 27 October 1914 , but drove motor ambulances instead of horses . The British army wanted nothing to do with them , so they drove ambulances and ran hospitals and casualty clearing stations for the Belgian and French armies . By the Armistice , they had been awarded many decorations for bravery , including 17 Military Medal s , 1 Legion d ' Honneur and 27 Croix de Guerre . McDougall wrote an anonymous 1917 account of her experiences " Nursing Adventures : A FANY in France " , retitled " A Nurse at War : Nursing Adventures in France " for America . World War II . In September 1938 , the FANY Corps was asked to form the initial Motor Driver Companies of the Auxiliary Territorial Service , called the Women ' s Transport Service . A small part of FANY - highly secret at the time and later famous - served as a parent unit for many women who undertook espionage work for the Special Operations Executive . Recruits were trained in one of four fields : Motor Transport , Wireless Telegraphy , Codes or General . They worked on coding and signals , acting as conductors for agents and providing administration and technical support for the Special Training Schools . Their work was top secret and often highly skilled . Members operated in several theatres of war , including North Africa , Italy , India and the Far East . Thirty - nine of the agents sent by SOE to France were commissioned into the Corps : twelve were captured by the Germans and died in concentration camps . Many decorations , of both the UK and other countries , were awarded for their service and outstanding courage . Among these , four of the highest UK decorations were the George Cross awarded to Odette Sansom ( who was incarcerated and tortured , but survived the war ) , to Violette Szabo and Noor Inayat Khan ( both perished in captivity and were decorated posthumously ) . Nancy Wake ' s awards included the George Medal . Elsewhere abroad , FANY agents served the Finnish Government ; a section was attached to the Polish Army ; and a Kenyan section , formed in 1935 , was made the official East African unit by the War Office in August 1941 , and was very active during the war . This section took women from all over the southern half of Africa . A memorial at St Paul ' s Church , Knightsbridge commemorates 52 named members who were killed on active service with the Corps in World War II . Ranks of the Women ' s Transport Service . Below is a chart of WTS / FANY ranks compared to the British Army . Post war . Today , the Corps provides response teams in support of the Civil and Military authorities within London during a major event or incident , as well as providing UK - wide assistance for civil and military planning and exercise roles . It is open to volunteers between the ages of 18 and 45 who reside or work near London , within the M25 . Corps members are trained in radio communications , first aid skills , map reading , navigation and orienteering , shooting , self - defence and survival techniques , advanced driving and casualty bureau documentation . Their working dress is similar to that of the modern British Army ; on formal occasions they wear a uniform similar to British Army Service Dress . They also have their own rank system . The FANY was officially renamed the Princess Royal ' s Volunteer Corps in 1999 , after being given permission by Anne , Princess Royal to use her title , and is now referred to as FANY ( PRVC ) . The original name has greater recognition , and greater prominence even in official publications and on its website . The Corps celebrated its centenary in 2007 .