This article features my cousin Eileen Ethel Maud Salmon, during World War Two at the age of 22 she signed up and joined the ATS in June 1942. She served as Corporal her role within this rank included clerical work and was based in London.
The Auxiliary Territorial Service, known as the ATS was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, it was originally set up as a women's voluntary service, until 1 February 1949, when it then merged into the Women’s Royal Army Corps.
The ATS had its roots in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps(WAAC), which was formed in 1917 as a voluntary service. The WAAC was disbanded after four years in 1921.
The ATS was granted full military status from April 1941. However, ATS women were still not allowed to undertake combat roles, but the duties of it’s members were expanded. Eventually there were over a hundred different roles in the ATS some of which now included orderlies, drivers, postal workers and ammunition inspectors.
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.
By 1943 the ATS represented 10 per cent of the Royal Corps of Signals having taken over the major part of the signal office and operating duties in the War Office and Home Commands, and ATS companies were sent to work on the lines of communications of active overseas theatres.
By VE Day and before demobilisation , there were over 190,000 members of the women's Auxiliary Territorial Service.
During serving for the ATS Eileen married Daniel Gilbert Adams known as Danny in 1943, but their marriage was short lived as he died whilst on duty. Danny was a flight sergeant in the RAF on the night of 25th April 1944 his aircraft exploded as a result of a night fighter attack over Germany. He died at the age of 27. His memorial is at CWGC Durnbach cemetery in Germany.
After the war in 1947 Eileen remarried and had a daughter Margaret who found me and if it wasn’t for her this post would have been impossible to write. I want to say thank you so much for reaching out and sharing wonderful memories and photos with me.
For further information regarding the ATS I have attached a short video from The National Army Museum. https://youtu.be/AXn0_uH1XIg
