Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of Eric William Harold WRIGHT and Amy Edith WRIGHT nee HALL

Joan Wright was born on 11 November (Remembrance Day), 1924 at Tailem Bend, South Australia. Her father 1368 Private Eric Wright from Meningie served in the 3rd Light Horse Regiment and was wounded in action in Palestine in 1917.

Joan enlisted at No 5 Recruiting Centre, Adelaide, in the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force as a Clerk Stores Assistant on 31 January 1944 aged only 19.
From 31 January to 11 March 1944, she completed initial training at No 4 Initial Training School, Victor Harbor. She completed equipment training at Equipment Training School (Laverton) from 11 March to 12 April 1944.

She was initially posted to No 6 Service Flying Training School for several weeks before being posted to No 2 Operational Training Unit at Mildura where she worked as a Stores Assistant for the remainder of the war.

She demobilised from the WAAAF on 16 November 1945. When she turned 100 last year, she said the best thing about serving was the friends, the fun and working.
After Joan left the RAAF, she managed the local pub/hotel. In January 1945, she married Raymond Williams who served as a gunner in the 13th Field Artillery Regiment in New Guinea. The couple went on to have 2 sons.

Joan was one of over 27,000 women who saw service in the WAAAF between March 1941 and July 1947. It was the first and largest of the World War II Australian Women's Services. Airwomen were recruited into over 70 different musterings (trades), including mechanical, armament, electricians, fitters, fabric workers, meteorology as well as the more traditional areas of clerical, medical, transport, catering, equipment, and communications.
The WAAAFs received about two-thirds of male RAAF members pay for equivalent service. However, their contribution was huge enabling thousands of men to deploy overseas on active service.

WAAAFs like Joan Williams were, in effect, pioneers for women today and set the basis for future generations of females serving in the Air Force and indeed generations of women employed in Australian society since.