The Women's Royal Air Force

The WRAF, Women's Royal Air Force, was founded in Britain in1918 as an auxiliary to the Royal Air Force,  enabling women to take various roles at air force bases (and thus free up men for the front). Though the majority of the over 32,000 women who served from 1918-1920 were employed as clerks and typists, all kinds of trades and roles became open to women. Awesome women, of course!

For more information, the RAF museum has a good blurb.

Note: at the original time of posting, this post had three additional images, including two of women actually working on planes. At the time, the IWM site did not note any restrictions on use of these images; however, when I went back to cite more properly, I noticed not only had this changed to "all rights reserved", but the IWM itself had removed the images from their site. So I did the same-- it's a shame, and the post is much weaker without them (I wouldn't have posted it, now), but this blog is committed to only using images within copyright! 

I did, however, find these images--which I can't share, due to copyright restriction, but which can at least be linked to!

Three WRAF women in a motorbike with sidecar

A wonderful lighthearted group portrait of WRAF and RAF men and women

© IWM (Q 12291)

A WRAF motorcyclist. Source

© IWM (Q 12260Q)

Taking a tea break. Source

© IWM (Q 33817)

A woman driver serving with the RFC (precursor to the RAF). Source

© IWM (Q 12260P)

A WRAF officer with a dog mascot. Source

© IWM (Q 27257)

WRAF members in a RAF lorry. Source

Shopping!

For Canadians, Brits, and all the rest of us Commonwealth folk, today is Boxing Day, which means post-Christmas sale shopping. So, for those of us who aren't at the mall today, let's pay a visit to some shops of the past!

Trying on shoes, c. 1930, Sydney, Australia. Source

Women shopping for nylons at a department store, US, 1947. Source

A man shopping in Milan, Italy, 1940. Source

People shopping in a new supermarket, Ghana, 1957. Source

Shoppers in Southdale Shopping Centre, Minneapolis, MN, USA, the first indoor shopping centre in the world, 1956. Source

Shopping in a shoe store, Taipeh, China, 1959. Source

Interior of a 'self-serve' grocery store-- this was still a new concept in the 30s! Australia. Source

Shopping for chocolates at an elegant 5th Avenue candy store, NYC, 1942. Source

Customers shopping in the best known department store, Mesbla, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1947. Source

Children let loose with shopping carts! Ahh! US, 1954. Source

Tribesmen shopping at a village fair, Vietnam, 1957. Source

Shopping for kitchen stuff in a department store, USA, 1947. Source

Two women window shopping on Fifth Avenue, NYC, 1942. Source

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, from me and London Transport!

Poster by Dudley Dyer, 1932. Source

Poster by Frederick Charles Herrick, 1934. Source

Poster by an unknown artist, 1948. Source

Poster by Maurice Wilson, 1951. Source

Poster by Frederick Charles Herrick, 1922. Source

Poster by Richard T. Cooper, 1925. Source

Poster by Raymond McGrath, 1937. Source

Poster by Charles Burton, 1930. Source

Poster by Margaret Galkin James, 1931. Source

Poster by Edward Purser Lancaster, 1947. Source

Poster by Marc Fernand Servin, c. 1938. Source

Poster by Bruce Angrave, 1949. Source

Poster by Walter E. Spradbery, 1936. Source

Celebrating Christmas

Celebrating Christmas across the decades and countries!

Nationaal Archief

Women from Zeeland in traditional costume with their tree, the Netherlands, 1949. Source

Nationaal Archief

Reading the Bible at Christmas, the Netherlands, 1949. Source

US National Archives

Christmas dance at the Negro Service Club, USA, 1943. Source

Nationaal Archief

Christmas theatrical production, Amsterdam, 1925. Source

Myron Davies, LIFE © Time Inc.

The Irwin family singing carols at a happy Christmas celebration marking the return of sons from World War Two. USA, 1945. Source

Nationaal Archief

Family singing carols around the tree, the Netherlands, undated. Source

Ed Clark, LIFE © Time Inc.

Dwight Eisenhower and family celebrating Christmas at the White House, 1960. Source

State Library and Archives Florida

Living nativity scene, Florida, undated. Source

Nationaal Archief

Christmas in a salt mine, Germany, 1933. Source

Nationaal Archief

Miners singing carols in a salt mine, Germany, 1933. 

Francis Miller, LIFE © Time Inc.

Preparing for the Christmas pageant at Brywn Mawr Community Church, Pennsylvania, 1956. Source

Robert W. Kelley, LIFE © Time Inc.

People waiting to get into the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall, NYC, 1962. Source

State Library of Queensland

Red Cross workers packing up Christmas parcels for the troops, 1942. Source

Thomas Macavoy, LIFE © Time Inc.

Franklin D. Roosevelt with family at Christmas, 1939. Source

US National Archives

Susan, the daughter of Gerald and Betty Ford, with the family Christmas tree, Virginia, 1961. Source

National Archives UK

Making the Empire Christmas pudding, 1926-39. Source

Nationaal Archief

Singing Christmas carols at the Salvation Army church, the Netherlands, 1960-64. Source

Leonard McCombe, LIFE © Time Inc.

Posh restaurant Luchow's, NYC, at Christmastime, 1962. Source

Nationaal Archief

A (posed) Christmas dinner, the Netherlands, c. 1950. Source

State Library and Archives Florida

Annual Christmas party at the Clara White Mission, Florida, 1963. Source

National Archives UK

Miners singing Christmas carols underground, Wrexham, Wales, 1950. Source