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.

Commission, Frances Alley

This commission is the formal document certifying the appointment of Frances Alley as a temporary sub-lieutenant in the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service.

As is typical for Canadian commissions, it is signed by the governor general, in this case the Earl of Athlone, at upper left. Because it is a naval commission, W.G. Mills, the deputy minister of national defence for naval services, has signed at lower left. Alley enlisted in the Wrens in August 1942 and, after her training served in Washington, DC, Halifax, Nova Scotia, HMCS Cornwallis (a training base in Nova Scotia), and Ottawa, before being demobilized in 1946.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19750011-006