Women in World War II RAAF Bands: An Untold Story

Abstract

Abstract Existing research into Australian defence force bands, including that published by the Australian Defence Force itself, assumes that women were not eligible to join mainstream military bands until the 1980s. Prior to this, it was thought women’s involvement in music in the Australia defence forces was limited to concert parties and membership of women’s auxiliary ensembles. This article will show that, on the contrary, a small group of women played in Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bands during World War II. These women, members of the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF), were invited to join their local RAAF bands when overseas deployments limited the availability of male musicians. This study uses archival research, contemporary media reports and interviews with WAAAF veterans to explore the lives and duties of this previously unacknowledged group of defence force musicians. Despite being paid less than their male counterparts, this small group of women proudly played and marched on equal terms with the men when their country needed them, only to be excluded for another forty years once peace reigned.