Women at the Ready

From the summer of 1938, British women from all walks of life joined the Women's Voluntary Services (WVS). This disparate band of women came together for the common good - to help serve and protect their communities. By 1941 a million women had enrolled.

These brave and dutiful women played a vital role in Britain's victory. The positive impact of the WVS on wartime society was universally acknowledged. They were instrumental in implementing the large-scale evacuation of children from bomb-targeted cities, in the care of the wounded, and in keeping those in war service fed. Lady Reading, founder and fearless leader, was one of the most influential women in twentieth-century Britain.

The story of the WVS has never been fully told before. Social historians Patricia and Robert Malcolmson bring this vital part of the Second World War to life in a vivid and engaging way through the diaries and records of the women serving their country on the Home Front. WOMEN AT THE READYpromises to be a magnificent saga of sacrifice and determination.

“You finish this book full of admiration for the way in which, long before anyone coined the word "sisterhood", British women were able to set aside differences of class, region and religion to pull together for the greater good.”

Their "heroic" work, suggest the authors in this fascinating study . . . [was] an advertisement for what voluntary action, backed by government, could do. - Scotsman - Michael Kerrigan

- Mail on Sunday

A detailed, vivid account of an inspirational force for good - Daily Mail

A good read. Get ready to be inspired by courageous tales from the women who helped us to victory in WWII. - Yours magazine

Patricia and Robert Malcolmson are social historians with a special interest in the Mass Observation archive. They have edited several wartime and post-war diaries, including Nella Last's Peace and Nella Last in the 1950s. They live in Nelson, British Columbia.

'You finish this book full of admiration for the way in which, long before anyone coined the word "sisterhood", British women were able to set aside differences of class, region and religion to pull together for the greater good' Mail on Sunday By 1941 a million women had enrolled in the Women's Voluntary Services to help serve and protect their communities. Women at the Ready brings the unexplored history of the wartime WVS to life through the records and diaries of ordinary women who discovered in themselves untapped resolve, energy and creative resources. Some women saw volunteer service as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to prove themselves. For others it meant a broader perspective on life. And for many it provided a distraction from worry, fear and grief. From the acclaimed researchers and writers of Nella Last's Peace , Women at the Ready is a magnificent saga of sacrifice and determination.

From the summer of 1938, British women from all walks of life joined the Women's Voluntary Services (WVS). This disparate band of women came together for the common good - to help serve and protect their communities. By 1941 a million women had enrolled.These brave and dutiful women played a vital role in Britain's victory. The positive impact of the WVS on wartime society was universally acknowledged. They were instrumental in implementing the large-scale evacuation of children from bomb-targeted cities, in the care of the wounded, and in keeping those in war service fed. Lady Reading, founder and fearless leader, was one of the most influential women in twentieth-century Britain.The story of the WVS has never been fully told before. Social historians Patricia and Robert Malcolmson bring this vital part of the Second World War to life in a vivid and engaging way through the diaries and records of the women serving their country on the Home Front. WOMEN AT THE READY promises to be a magnificent saga of sacrifice and determination.

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