Don Roulston Buzzard

8.0
Don Enlists in the WAAAF in World War 2

During the early years of World War 2, the necessity to make use of women in many new avenues of employment became apparent. Despite resistance from some members of the War Cabinet, bureaucrats and the Service, in February 1941 the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) received approval to create the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF). (The women were not allowed to fly or to serve outside Australia and, until 1943, were not allowed to enlist in the RAAF. Instead, they enrolled as auxiliaries for renewable periods of twelve months at a time. Married women were not accepted and if they married whilst in the service, they had to resign. They were also paid 2/3 the rate of pay of their male counterparts doing the same job.) Wireless telegraphists were urgently needed to assist in meeting a temporary deficiency of male wireless telegraphists.

A senior WAAAF officer was appointed from 24th February 1941 with more appointed from 10th March 1941 and a WAAAF Training Depot was established at Malvern, Melbourne. Recruiting commenced on 15th March 1941 and on 17th March the first nineteen airwomen reported at the Training Depot, ten of them being teleprinter operator trainees.

Although recruiting continued it was officially slowed down until Japan entered the war in December 1941. [49] The WAAAF was the largest of the three women’s services. By the end of the war, about 27,000 women had enlisted.

Don’s first application for enlistment as an Airwoman in the RAAF was made on 25th March 1941, at Woolloomooloo. She was living with the Smith family at 106 Norfolk Road, Epping, N.S.W at the time. This application was entered into the Women’s Voluntary National Register and it was not until the 26th July 1943 that it was approved by a board. On that date, Don was required to fill out a second application (full document) to join the newly formed WAAAF and was urged by the enlistment officer, or she herself desired, to enlist as a teleprinter operator. The delay in acceptance by the WAAAF, can be attributed to large influx of recruits at the time.

First Application for Enlistment [50]

She gave her experience as 2 years as a switchboard operator and 3 years as a typist clerk. She was working as typist for the Commonwealth Catering Co. Pty Ltd at the time of her application. She passed the “Typing Test” with a 60% pass, Education Fair, Office Routine – Good, suitable as a teleprinter operator.

She formally joined the WAAAF, on 26th July 1941 with the service number 92437 and rank of A.C.W.1 (Aircraft Woman Grade 1). Her enlistment , which was not for a period not exceeding 12 months, was at the No. 2 Recruiting Centre, Sydney.

Application to Join the WAAAF [51]

She was aged 19 years and 11 months at the time.

Don Roulston Dymock 1941 Service No. 92437[52]

Her first posting was the WAAAF Training Depot at Malvern, N.S.W. and she was on the No. 8 Teleprinter Operators Course from 29th February 1941 to 19th August 1941.

At the same time as the teleprinter course was on, she attended the No. 7 Recruit Drill Course from 23rd July 1941 to 22nd August 1941. Don was then transferred to Air Force Headquarters in Melbourne on 25th August 1941. Whilst there she was promoted to a temporary corporal on 1st April 1942.

As the war expanded in the Pacific, the duties of the Meteorological Service of the RAAF also expanded with the movement of personnel from their H.Q. in Melbourne to the north of Australia, Papua New Guinea and some Pacific Islands. Up to this time the Service was a predominately a male domain. But as the spread of the Services personnel required many more staff, these came from the ranks of the WAAAF.

Don was one of those chosen to become a “charter” who plotted weather patterns and took on this role on 12th April 1942. Her rank was a “Met Charter 3”. Not long after, on 15th September 1942 she was posted to H.Q. at Rathmines RAAF Base in N.S.W.

Rathmines RAAF Base with Catalina Flying Boats moored up [53]

Don met her future husband Brian Sheridan Buzzard at Rathmines, when he was based there on Catalina Flying Boats. Brian, in his autobiography, recounts an interesting story that was the inspiration for the title of his book, ”A Gentleman and a Rascal”.

All Catalina aircrews who had seen action for nine to twelve months were sent back to Rathmines to instruct air crews in training. There, it was the custom for officers to have a “dining in” night, once a month. On one of those nights, a turkey was cooked but it was not eaten as the officers had enough food and alcohol and there was lots of food leftover. Brian was courting Don at the time, so to impress her, he and another officer decided to put the turkey in a kitbag and take it to Don and her WAAAF friends in Newcastle, 15 miles away, where Don was working in the Meteorological and Wireless Room. They were very grateful for the turkey and Brian felt he had completed another “successful mission”. Little did he know someone had seen him steal the turkey.

Next day, his commanding officer (C.O.) asked him if the WAAAFs had enjoyed the turkey? Brian answered truthfully that they had. His C.O. then said “You may be a gentleman Brian, but you are a rascal with it”. Brian was fined £20 and he was banned from drinking in the mess for a month. But more importantly, Don and Brian’s relationship developed, and with Rathmines being so close to Newcastle, they were able to see each other most nights. [54]

After Don had served another 12 months, she had to re-enlist in the airforce as her initial enlistment papers, stated her period of enlistment was 12 months. The second of such re-enlistments was carried out on 23rd March 1943.

Re-enlistment on 23rd April 1943 [55]

Don Roulston Dymock and Brian Sheridan Buzzard were married on 24th February 1944 at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney. As was the custom in the Catholic church at the time, a Catholic marrying someone from another faith, required both participants to be married at a side altar which was to the side of the main alter. They could not be married in front of the main altar.

Don Roulston Dymock marries Brian Sheridan Buzzard in Sydney

They had to sign a statutory declaration stating there was no unlawful impediment for them not to get married.

Statutory declaration

Don must have advised the WAAAF that she was getting married in 1944 as on 26th February 1944, she was transferred from Rathmines to the No.2 Embarkation Depot at Bradfield Park (now Lindfield), 13km north west of Sydney. This depot was maintained to appropriately kit out and give final medical examinations to personnel before they went to operational theatres. It also served as a base for the discharge of WAAAF personnel by way of recording equipment that had to be returned and also for their final medical examination.

Clearance Certificate for Discharge [56]

On 12th March 1944, Don was discharged from the Air Force as she was now a married woman.

Don is Discharged from WAAAF [57]

The reason given for her discharge was under the provisions RAAF regulation AFR 115(n) “on compassionate grounds”. AFR 115 (n) was the sub-paragraph which actually stated “medically unfit for further service”, as there was no specific sub-paragraph for women who married whilst in the service.

Statement of Service and Discharge

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[49] Australian Women’s Archive Project
[50] - [52] National Archives of Australia – Dymock, Don Roulston, Service Record No. 92437
[53] Australian Was Memorial
[54] “A Gentleman and a Rascal” – Brian Buzzard
[55] - [57] National Archives of Australia – Dymock, Don Roulston, Service Record No. 92437