Australian Dress Register

Ena's nephew remembers Ena as a confident, caring, intelligent, outgoing lady with a sense of adventure, but as a person who considered it her duty to return to her family and the family farm, at the end of the War. Having grown up on a farm, Ena learned to drive tractors and trucks at an early age, so had the appropriate skills and experience to work as a Driver with the WAAAF.  Her nephew believes that she would have been very proud of her involvement with the Air Force and would have valued her uniform, keeping it as a special momento of the happy and fulfilling years she spent in Sydney.

Ena Maude Wilson was born at Rollands Plains NSW on 7 September 1909, the daughter of first generation Australians, Roger and Maude Wilson who lived at Rollands Plains NSW. She had two brothers, Roger Williamson and Donald St John and a sister Marjorie.  Ena did not marry and passed away on 22 March 1985 in Port Macquarie.

The uniform was donated to the Port Macquarie Museum by Ena's sister Marjorie.  Ena was a Motor Transport Driver at the Richmond RAAF base from 11 September 1942 until discharged on 16 November 1945.

The WAAAF was the largest of the Australian World War II women's services, with approximately 27,000 personnel deployed in all the Australian States and in many country localities.  Women worked in munitions depots and hospitals and filled the roles of teleprinter operators and general clerks, as well as flight mechanics and general transport drivers, thus enabling male personnel serving in Australia to be released for overseas duties.  Initially there was a good deal of resistence to women joing the armed forces but after 14 months of difficult discussion and opposition from the community and serving male personnel, the Air Force set a precedent by allowing women to join.  Women later served in the the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) and the Women's Royal Australian Navy Service (WRANS).

World War II nominal Rolls

NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages

Trove - National Library of Australia

The Uniform has been on display at the Port Macquarie Museum as part of the "World War 2 At Home" exhibit in 2011.  Previous exhibition history has not been recorded but it was also displayed in a military gallery at the Port Macquarie Museum shortly after its donation until 2005. 

 Jacket pockets, collar and belt are finished with tan cotton top-stitching.  Two angled and bound slit pockets in the skirt are also finished with tan cotton top-stitching.

Lower right sleeve has red and black chevron

Hand embroidered insignia of eagle in blue silk thread on left upper sleeve. Eagle has red hand embroidered eye.

Jacket is made from navy blue woollen serge fabric, with striped cotton lining in sleeves and glazed cotton lining across shoulders.

Skirt is unlined and also made from navy blue woollen serge fabric.

Both the jacket and skirt are machine stitched with contrasting tan cotton machine top stiching also machine stitched. The only hand sewing is on the red-eyed blue eagle on the upper left sleeve.

Jacket Label reads "N 122 Size 13 MADE IN AUSTRALIA 1942" Handwritten in black ink on top is "Wilson E.M." and the number "106019"

Skirt Label reads "N96 MADE IN AUSTRALIA 1942"  The Number 106019 and Wilson E.M. are handwritten in a box within the Label

The jacket front, back, sleeves, belt and pocket flaps are made from straight cut fabric.

The skirt and slit pockets are made from straight cut fabric.  The skirt is made from four pieces of fabric.

The jacket is single breasted with four pressed metal buttons, featuring an eagle and a crown, at the centre front.  It has two breast pockets with button closures.

The skirt has a placket opening on the left side fastened with four metal hooks, three metal eyes and one hand stitched eye. There are also two adjustable buckles at the back on either side of the waistband.

There is a lining of glazed cotton across the back of the jacket and the sleeves are lined with a striped cotton fabric.

WAAAF Winter Dress Uniform

Skirt has one of the four eyes in the hook and eye placket missing.  It has been replaced with a hand made eye.

There are two small holes and two small tears on the front of the jacket near the left top pocket and the middle buttons and at the lower right back that may have been made by insects.