Hush WAACs

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The Hush WAACs were a group of seventeen British women who worked on the front line as codebreakers in France during World War One. After the war, two would go on to work on diplomatic codebreaking for MI1b. [1] Although women were already working as codebreakers in Room 40 and MI1b, the Hush WAACs were the only women to serve as codebreakers at the front line during WW1. [1]

Contents

History

In 1917, the British Army in France was short of manpower, and members of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps were asked to volunteer for front line service in supporting roles. [1] [2] Six women were identified as capable of supporting the I(e)C front line codebreaking work at Saint-Omer in northern France, and arrived there on 28 September 1917. They had not been told what their duties would be. [2] [3] [4]

Over time, these original six women were joined by another three women who found conditions too difficult and returned to England. Between 1917 and the end of the war in November 1918, a total of seventeen women were sent to work in the I(e)C codebreaking team. [2] There were typically around 12 women in the team at any time. [2] [5] [6] They were aged between 22 and 55 years old, and had all volunteered for front line duty. All were middle or upper class, and spoke German. [1]

From September 1917 until April 1918, the codebreaking unit was based at Saint-Omer in northern France. [1] Once the location became unsafe, the unit was pulled back to Paris Plage on the Normandy coast. [2]

The Hush WAACs initially supported the men who were breaking the German codes, by working to decode known systems and build books of known parts of the vocabulary. [1] By December 1917, some of the women were making their own suggestions on possible content of encrypted messages. [2] They would also, on occasion, be in charge of the code-breaking teams. [7]

An officer spoke of the women to the press, calling them "Hush WAACs". [2] A leaked story in the Daily Mail called them "the goddesses of secrets". [1]

Known members of the Hush WAACs [8]

Codebreaker Emily Anderson was initially trained to be a Hush WAAC but was sent to MI1b in London instead. [4]

After the war

The Hush WAACs were dispersed to other duties after the armistice in November 1918. [2] Many of them were awarded the Victory Medal and British War Medal in 1919 for their work. [7] [10] Florence Hannam and Edith Watkins went to MI1b, and Hannam was transferred to the new Government Code and Cipher School. [1] [2] [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ferris, John (2021). Behind the enigma: the authorised history of GCHQ, Britain´s Secret Cyber-Intelligence Agency. London Oxford New York New Delhi Sydney: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 60–62. ISBN   9781526605467.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Beech, Jim. "The Hush WAACs - The secret ladies of St Omer". www.gchq.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Philo-Gill, Samantha (28 February 2017). The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps in France, 1917–1921: Women Urgently Wanted. Casemate Publishers. ISBN   978-1-4738-8629-2.
  4. 1 2 Chionna, Jackie Ui (13 April 2023). Queen of Codes: The Secret Life of Emily Anderson, Britain's Greatest Female Code Breaker. Headline. ISBN   978-1-4722-9548-4 . Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  5. ↑ The Public Health Journal. Canadian Public Health Association. 1918.
  6. ↑ Aschroft, Michael (8 November 2022). In the Shadows: The extraordinary men and women of the Intelligence Corps. Biteback Publishing. ISBN   978-1-78590-669-5 . Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 Norburn, Bryony. "The Role of Female Cryptanalysts from 1914 to 1946" (PDF). Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Hush WAAC Roll of Honour". www.gchq.gov.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "Miss Mabel Dymond Peel". Welwyn Garden City Heritage Trust. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "WW1MedalsCollectionMunby Gladys". Mil Intel Museum. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
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