Wartime Heritage ASSOCIATION

First Women’s Contingent RCAF

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, WWII

First Women’s Contingent RCAF at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia was part of the newly formed RCAF Women’s Division. The contingent was assigned to RCAF Station Yarmouth to handle essential support duties that would have included aircraft maintenance, weather services, medical facilities, and administration. Women were integrated into these support structures, handling personnel records, pay, supply, and hospital duties. This contingent represented the initial integration of women into RCAF station life in Nova Scotia, marking a pioneering step in Canadian military history. RCAF Women’s Division was founded in July 1941 as the Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (CWAAF) and renamed RCAF Women’s Division in February 1942. Their Motto “We Serve that Men May Fly.” Women filled 69 of 102 trades in the RCAF, including clerical work, meteorology, aircraft maintenance, and air traffic control. Personnel were stationed across Canada, including Nova Scotia bases like Yarmouth, and overseas in Britain.

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