Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service

The Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS) began during the Second World War, on July 31, 1942, as the naval counterpart to the Canadian Women’s Army Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division. At its peak, the organization had 5,893 members. None were killed in action, but 11 women died on duty (due to illness or accidents).

WRCNS members were commonly known as “Wrens”, based off the British Women’s Royal Naval Service, on which the WRCNS was modeled.

The WRCNS was created as a separate service from the Royal Canadian Navy and remained so until demobilization. The service was disbanded in August, 1946.

Source: “Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service”. The Canadian Encyclopedia, https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/womens-royal-canadian-naval-service, accessed July 2, 2020.