June’s meeting was a visit from International Bomber Command Education Centre and a talk about the role of women in Bomber Command, the visitor centre near Lincoln, and why it has taken so long for Bomber Command to be recognised.
Emily from Bomber Command brought artefacts of letters, uniforms and also samples of menus. She discussed how the WAAF was seen as a popular choice for young women as the uniform was better than the other services. There were also some posters that had been deemed as too glamorous and then altered to remove smiling women wearing lipstick, although only the original ones remained.
Various jobs were available to the women that joined, including Flying Nightingales, who could not display a medical red cross on their outward journey to collect the wounded. This was because the Dakotas they flew in also carried weapons and other military supplies, but on the inbound flight they would be tending to those seriously wounded in the fighting.
There were also stories about women pilots who were used to deliver the newly built planes from the factory to the RAF stations where they would be used, and sadly not all survived these journeys. On a more fun note diary extracts and letters were available to be read and a uniform to look at too.
It’s also worth mentioning Di’s amazing cake, Di had obviously spent ages baking and it was delicious – thanks Di.
The Lincoln WI 