WOMEN WARRIORS

Few songs reflect the enormous sacrifices that were made by women to support the war effort. Most songs of the era depict women as passive victims rather than active participants.

Women were barred from combat roles, however, as more and more men went to war, women were called upon to take up jobs traditionally held by men on farms and in factories. More than 3,000 women served as nurses with the Canadian Army Medical Corps, with over 2,500 serving overseas.

Women did their bit in a vast number of other ways. They served as typists, telegraph and phone operators, they fundraised, made care packages, sewed and knitted. Oh, and don’t forget they were singers and entertainers too! War-work was usually done alongside domestic duties.

The dedication of women in WWI paved the way for women to hold auxiliary positions in the military in WWII. Full entry into the armed forces did not come until the 1980s.