Royal Voluntary Service
The Royal Voluntary Service (known as the Women 's Voluntary Service from 1938 to 1966; Women’s Royal Voluntary Service from 1966 to 2005 and WRVS from 2005 to 2013) is a voluntary organization concerned with helping people in need throughout England, Scotland and Wales. It was founded in 1938 by Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading as a British women’s organization to aid civilians.
Contents [hide]
1 Objectives
2 Structure
3 World War II 3.1 Evacuation, clothing distribution and returning soldiers
3.2 The Blitz
3.3 Other activities
3.4 D-Day
3.5 Foreign WVS units
4 After WWII
5 Present day
6 References
7 External links
Objectives[edit]
On 16 May 1938, the British government set out the objectives of the Women 's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence:
It was seen “as the enrolment of women for Air Raid Precaution Services of Local Authorities, to help to bring home to every household what air attack may mean, and to make known to every household [in the country] what it can do to protect itself and the community.”
In the words of the then Home Secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, "as regards their civil defence functions, the Minister regards the Women 's Voluntary Service as occupying ... much the same relationship as that of the women 's auxiliary services for the armed forces of the Crown."
Structure[edit]
The WVS was a voluntary organization, so no one held a specific rank at a local level. If someone existed as a group leader for a certain task one week, she could simply be part of a team with another group leader the next week but for a different task. As a voluntary body the WVS did not have a compulsory uniform. It did have a uniform–-designed by Norman Hartnell - The Queen 's couturier-but it was not free. Many WVS members went about their work simply wearing a WVS badge on their lapels.
The work of the WVS covered a very broad spectrum. Lady Reading had a simple philosophy for the WVS-–if the job needed doing, it was
Contents [hide]
1 Objectives
2 Structure
3 World War II 3.1 Evacuation, clothing distribution and returning soldiers
3.2 The Blitz
3.3 Other activities
3.4 D-Day
3.5 Foreign WVS units
4 After WWII
5 Present day
6 References
7 External links
Objectives[edit]
On 16 May 1938, the British government set out the objectives of the Women 's Voluntary Service for Civil Defence:
It was seen “as the enrolment of women for Air Raid Precaution Services of Local Authorities, to help to bring home to every household what air attack may mean, and to make known to every household [in the country] what it can do to protect itself and the community.”
In the words of the then Home Secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, "as regards their civil defence functions, the Minister regards the Women 's Voluntary Service as occupying ... much the same relationship as that of the women 's auxiliary services for the armed forces of the Crown."
Structure[edit]
The WVS was a voluntary organization, so no one held a specific rank at a local level. If someone existed as a group leader for a certain task one week, she could simply be part of a team with another group leader the next week but for a different task. As a voluntary body the WVS did not have a compulsory uniform. It did have a uniform–-designed by Norman Hartnell - The Queen 's couturier-but it was not free. Many WVS members went about their work simply wearing a WVS badge on their lapels.
The work of the WVS covered a very broad spectrum. Lady Reading had a simple philosophy for the WVS-–if the job needed doing, it was
References: 1.Jump up ^ "Charity WRVS drops 'women ' from its name to attract men". BBC News. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013. 2.Jump up ^ "WRVS becomes Royal Voluntary Service". 20 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.