Second World War
The Navy Ashore  - Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service

The Second World War saw close to 7,000 women in naval service. Founded in 1942, the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS), often called the "Wrens", performed a wide variety non-combatant roles ashore, both in Canada and abroad.

Plotting Room, Naval Service Headquarters, Ottawa

In this 1943 photograph, members of the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS) work in the plotting room at Naval Service Headquarters in Ottawa.

Trained as plotters, Wrens worked as part of the staff in this room, marking the locations of Allied units and the suspected locations of German U-Boats (submarines) on large, wall-mounted maps to produce an overall picture of the war at sea. Allied commanders could then route convoys in an attempt to avoid contact with U-Boats or send forces to attack them.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19870211-146