0:00:03 > 0:00:05It's 100 years since the first pioneering women
0:00:05 > 0:00:07joined the British Armed Forces.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Today, women serve alongside men,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15together in combat, on the front line.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19If you can do it, and you want to do it, you should be able to.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21To see how much things have changed...
0:00:21 > 0:00:23- Love it!- How do I look?
0:00:23 > 0:00:26..five well-known faces revisit either their own...
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- Morning, ma'am. I'm the captain... - You called me ma'am, how sweet.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32..or a family member's military past.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34They just got stuck in.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37It was exciting.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Always intense.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41From defending land...
0:00:43 > 0:00:44- Sea...- I don't want to go that way.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46..and air.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48These are the extraordinary stories
0:00:48 > 0:00:51of a century of women at war.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00She's one of our best-loved small-screen actresses,
0:01:00 > 0:01:02but over 70 years ago,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05June Brown took on a very different role,
0:01:05 > 0:01:10as a recruit into the Women's Royal Naval Service, known as "the Wrens".
0:01:10 > 0:01:14I'd want to lie down and have a rest after doing all that here,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16let alone fight a fire.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18As she relives some of the trials and highlights
0:01:18 > 0:01:20of being a Wren during the Second World War...
0:01:20 > 0:01:22I think I danced with you, once.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25- JUNE LAUGHS - You might have done.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28..June gets a taste of modern life in the forces,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32challenging her own views on women's roles in the military.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34It's quite cool, seeing the captain as a professional.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36It would be quite nice to get to that level
0:01:36 > 0:01:39and be a proper, professional naval officer.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42And after taking a turn navigating a warship...
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Am I all right steering over here?
0:01:45 > 0:01:47- Yeah...- I don't want to go that way.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50..June's appreciation of how the Navy has been transformed...
0:01:50 > 0:01:55I would've been perfectly capable of doing this when I was young.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57..leads to a surprising change of heart.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01It's helped me a lot, to accept that...
0:02:01 > 0:02:04society has moved on.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08EASTENDERS THEME TUNE
0:02:08 > 0:02:13In 1985, June Brown took on the role that would make her a TV legend,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16laundrette worker Dot Cotton in EastEnders.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19You've got to see a doctor.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I mean, we can't do no more on our own.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25- No!- You've got to, Nick.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30But before June's theatre and television career blossomed,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33she served in the Women's Royal Naval Service,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37during the last year of World War II and the year following victory.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I've got some photographs here of when I was in the Wrens.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Which one shall I show you first?
0:02:45 > 0:02:48That is, the Wrennery is one side...
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Er, that side...
0:02:51 > 0:02:52The pub is the other,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55and you could go out at the back door from the Wrennery
0:02:55 > 0:02:57into the door of the pub.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Oh, well, this is one of my young men.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02I'm hanging onto his right arm.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Well, you never did that,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07because if they met a rating, they had to salute, you see...
0:03:07 > 0:03:10So you shouldn't... I should've been on the other side.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15You always wore your handbag here, so you were ready to salute.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17In 1941,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20young, single women began to be conscripted
0:03:20 > 0:03:22for roles in the war effort.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Then, as more jobs needed to be filled,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28all fit naval women up to the age of 60 were called up.
0:03:30 > 0:03:31They worked in areas like farming,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34industry and non-combat military roles in the forces.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38But June had her own reasons for choosing to become a Wren.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42I knew I'd be called up when I was 18,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45so I thought to myself, well,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48if I volunteer,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52you know, then I can choose which service I go to.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54I didn't fancy the uniform
0:03:54 > 0:03:58of the WAF or the ATS, cos it wouldn't have suited my complexion.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00And anyway,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04the Wrens, well, that was the senior service, you see.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Here is a rather lovely poster
0:04:07 > 0:04:08of the Wren.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11In fact, has she got a beret on?
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Because that's what I had.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16But you see, really rather smart we were, weren't we?
0:04:16 > 0:04:18With a different salute,
0:04:18 > 0:04:23that salute, not your hand turned round like the Army, no...
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Quite special, we were.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28So, I upped and joined the Wrens.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33You released the men to go to war, and so you were nurses,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36you worked in the factories,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38or you went into the forces.
0:04:38 > 0:04:44It's very interesting to me, what is happening in the services now,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46what's happening with the Wrens.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50And I want to know the jobs they do,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54because the jobs are going to be a great deal different
0:04:54 > 0:04:55from the ones we did.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00So it'll be very interesting to see how it's changed.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Not that I like change.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03JUNE LAUGHS
0:05:05 > 0:05:07The Wrens was founded during World War I.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Following massive troop losses,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14the War Office allowed uniformed women to take on naval support roles
0:05:14 > 0:05:16for the first time.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19They were disbanded soon after the war.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22But when war in Europe broke out once more in 1939,
0:05:22 > 0:05:28the Wrens were called upon again, to help free a man for the fleet.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32June will be comparing her wartime experiences as a Wren
0:05:32 > 0:05:33with those of women serving now.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38And she's anticipating a very different landscape.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42I'm off to Portsmouth to a training camp of Wrens.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Well, I think it is a training camp for Wrens,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48they aren't called that these days, so I'm told,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52and I do believe they might be training with the men.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57June's come to HMS Excellent,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01one of the Navy's oldest training establishments.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04She is here to meet Junior Warfare Officer Sian English,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07to share what she remembers of her first weeks with the Wrens.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10So, here we have your war records...
0:06:10 > 0:06:12- Mm.- Do you remember how long your training was,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14your basic training?
0:06:14 > 0:06:17I thought it was six weeks, but it turned out to be three.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19It just seemed an awful long time.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Seems like an eternity.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- Yes.- Where was your training?
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Up in... Well, at Loch Lomond,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28on the banks of Loch Lomond.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29It was called Balloch.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32How did you find the training whilst you was up there?
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Well, we did the normal things, we learned to march,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37we learned to salute, we learned to... What's it called,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41when you're shimmying up to each other and getting in line?
0:06:41 > 0:06:43I forget what that's called. Route marches.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48I didn't really like those, I wasn't a very energetic girl, really.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49Erm...
0:06:49 > 0:06:51The thing I really hated
0:06:51 > 0:06:54was I had to get up at 5 o'clock in the morning
0:06:54 > 0:06:55and scrub floors,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58or get up at five o'clock in the morning
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and clean dirty, filthy, greasy tins.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Very big ones.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07I wasn't used to that and I would've gone home, but I had too much pride
0:07:07 > 0:07:09to put my tail...
0:07:09 > 0:07:10I'd volunteered, you see.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14If you volunteer, when you're 17-and-a-half,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16you could leave, if you found it too much for you,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18but, erm...
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- I didn't.- Are you glad that you stuck it out?
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Yes, it was only three weeks, but as I said, it felt like six.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26JUNE LAUGHS
0:07:28 > 0:07:32In the century since women first took on roles in the forces,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35plenty of other new recruits have found their basic training
0:07:35 > 0:07:37something of an ordeal.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42When I did basic training,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46when I, in 1988, my basic training was six weeks long.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Suddenly, I'm there, didn't know anybody,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50erm...
0:07:50 > 0:07:51and it was just full-on,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55from the minute you got there, until the minute you left.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57We did, er... PT.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00I wasn't very happy with that!
0:08:00 > 0:08:03You're mucking in, and you're doing, you know,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06duties, so yeah, it was a shock to the system.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09But I knew it's something that I had to do.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13We did... Learned how to march, cos none of us could march,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15we were all just plain young girls,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17we'd just joined,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19we didn't know what we was letting ourselves in for, really.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22But it was very good and very exciting.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25Beds had to be made, so they were so perfect,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27we spent hours polishing shoes.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30I mean, for a 17-year-old, that was pretty intense.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32I mean, we also had a lot of fun.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35But, yeah, it was very intense.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40At HMS Excellent,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42the current training for female recruits
0:08:42 > 0:08:45couldn't be more different from June's World War II experiences.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49But as part of a generation of women
0:08:49 > 0:08:51who joined up so they could support the men,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55June's not entirely comfortable with how much things have changed.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57First thing you've got to do,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00turn it upside down, to get all the pressure released.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01LOUD HISSING
0:09:01 > 0:09:05The Wrens merged with the Navy in 1993,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and women are now completely integrated into the service.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- A mixture of...- They train side-by-side with the men,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15and are expected to do the same jobs, to the same standard.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17What we're going to do now is demonstrate what happens
0:09:17 > 0:09:19when you turn on the hose incorrectly. OK?
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Today, communication specialist Anna Fryer is among those
0:09:30 > 0:09:33on a refresher course, learning how to fight fires at sea.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Now, I'm going to ask you,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39er, why you wanted to join...
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I don't believe it's called the Wrens any more, am I right?
0:09:42 > 0:09:44It's just the Navy.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46- Just the Navy. - Yeah, it's the Navy now...
0:09:46 > 0:09:48I never, ever really thought about joining the Navy,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51I was at college doing travel and tourism,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54and they came to an open day and I went.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58They said, you'd be really good, so I went and did all my tests,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and no-one knew, not even my family knew, until my 18th birthday,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03and I said, I'm joining the Navy.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05And what did they say?
0:10:05 > 0:10:08My mum and dad were a bit shocked. They only gave me like, four weeks,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10they said, "You're not going to last that long",
0:10:10 > 0:10:12because I like my home comforts and stuff,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15but 17 years later, I'm still here.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19What I want to know, Anna, is what your basic training was like.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21I want to know if it was different from mine.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24I did eight weeks up in HMS Raleigh,
0:10:24 > 0:10:25in Torpoint, in Cornwall.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27We do, erm,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30NMT, which is Naval Military Training, so you have a rifle,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- and you do rifle drills and shoot and things like that.- Yeah.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38You have to learn all the different slangs, like port and starboard
0:10:38 > 0:10:40is left and right,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43and you do obstacle courses, a fitness test.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46You have to do a 2.4km run.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Oh, dreadful. I wouldn't have passed any of those, darling.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52If I ran up a hockey field, I was exhausted, at school.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57No, we just were tested before we came in, accepted,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01our heart rate and everything, as long as we were reasonably healthy,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- we were in.- Yeah. - So we did none of that at all.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07You seem to have done so much!
0:11:07 > 0:11:09- You've got two children. - Yes, I have got two children.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- You've got...- A seven-year-old and a three-year-old.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16How do you feel about leaving them behind when you're on your ships?
0:11:16 > 0:11:19It's hard, but at the end of the day, you've got a job to do.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- Erm...- Why have you got a job to do?
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Because I signed up for 20 years.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25You prefer to do a job outside the home.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Yeah, I think nowadays, like, there was, erm...
0:11:29 > 0:11:32- Females use to stay at home, didn't they?- Yes.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35- And look after the husbands and the children.- Well, that was a job...
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- That was a job, yes.- Quite a hefty job.- It is an important job,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40but nowadays, I think that...
0:11:40 > 0:11:42females want to be equal.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44But we're not equal, are we?
0:11:44 > 0:11:45Years ago, when you first joined up,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48obviously the Wrens supported the males.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52- Exactly.- But now, we are... hand in hand.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54- I don't like the idea of that.- No!
0:11:54 > 0:11:57We're side-by-side, we work side-by-side with each other,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00females can do the same job as what a male can do.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05To prove it, Anna shows June the next part of her training,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07tackling a blaze aboard ship.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10So, what I'd like you to do now is take it off the hook,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12place it on your back, tighten up your straps.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15So fast.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16We have to be,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19they only get two minutes to do this in a real incident at the start.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Place the mask chin-first onto your face,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24take a deep breath and activate the set.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28I'd want to lie down and have a rest after doing all that, dear,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30let alone fight a fire!
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Ooh, it's so complicated.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35- They look like Daleks. - LOUD WHISTLE
0:12:35 > 0:12:37- INDISTINCT SPEECH - All the noises.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- At least it matches your scarf.- Charming!
0:12:41 > 0:12:46June's placed in the safe hands of Warrant Officer Kath Wojciech.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48So what happens now?
0:12:48 > 0:12:50I'm coming with you?
0:12:50 > 0:12:51- You're coming with me.- Right.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54We're going to go to the top of the unit.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59Next up, the exercise area, where fire simulations take place.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Everything they talked about...
0:13:04 > 0:13:08they're going to put into practice with a real fire, in the units.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09So...
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- You have to go down that hatch. - Oh, yeah.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17They go down, er, we'll have a fire.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- They close it off for them? - Yeah, yeah.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Quite frightening. It makes your heart go.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27What's going to happen now...
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Fires on ships spread at lightning speed,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32so have to be dealt with very quickly.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34They've got eight minutes to get dressed
0:13:34 > 0:13:36in all their firefighting rig.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Although unheard of in June's day,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41all of the Navy's 3,500 female personnel
0:13:41 > 0:13:43must train in fire drills like this.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46They're on their way down now.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49And you'll see, Anna and that will come back up.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52JUNE LAUGHS
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Whoa, whoa, whoa...
0:13:55 > 0:13:58After ten minutes of intensive firefighting, Anna comes up for air.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03It's all dark down there, and smoky, and you can see the flames.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- You can actually see the flames? - Yeah.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07Was it frightening?
0:14:07 > 0:14:09No, I mean, because...
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Because this is a training environment anyway,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14you get used to what it's going to be like, and eventually,
0:14:14 > 0:14:18you go into a fire on a warship, so it's not frightening.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- No.- You're learning all your skills...
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- When there's a real fire... - ..eventually, yes.- Yes.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26JUNE LAUGHS
0:14:28 > 0:14:31100 years since women officially joined the military,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34front line combat duties are now open to them.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39But June remains to be convinced that this is a good thing.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Something that requires weight and strength...
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Some woman have got it, but most women haven't.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49I just don't know where the femininity has gone.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52I think that's what disturbs me.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54I like to know that there are men and women
0:14:54 > 0:14:57and they're not equal and all the same.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59I wouldn't like to be going down...
0:15:01 > 0:15:04..down below, to fight a fire, not at all, dear.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07No, I'd be looking for the nearest fire exit.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11After completing basic training,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14World War II Wrens were placed in different categories
0:15:14 > 0:15:16according to their skills and experiences.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22June became a cinema operator, playing training films to troops,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25detailing what happens during military operations.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29Navy veteran Eddie Gaines
0:15:29 > 0:15:33watched the kind of films June showed during the war.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36He joined up aged 18,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39and worked on landing vessels used to take trips ashore during battle,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42seeing action in Normandy and the Far East.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Yes, it's 16 mil, I think.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- Mm.- It's different looking from what I did,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51because we had much smaller reels, because our machines wouldn't
0:15:51 > 0:15:53- take something that size.- Yeah.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Let's get it, sort of... Where's it gone?
0:15:56 > 0:16:00It's in a right old mess, here, it's coming to pieces.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04I showed these films to train the sailors.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- Guys like me.- Yes.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11Things like, how to survive at sea, how to survive in the jungle...
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- I used to sit in my little box with a little window...- Yeah?
0:16:14 > 0:16:16..training films like that,
0:16:16 > 0:16:21and then they'd pass me through their tobacco and their papers,
0:16:21 > 0:16:22and I'd make them ticklers.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26- Ticklers?!- Yeah, roll-ups, you see. So, I never watched the films,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28I was too busy making them cigarettes!
0:16:28 > 0:16:32So they put me in the category of a cinema operator,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34so I just showed the films.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36I released a sailor to go and fight,
0:16:36 > 0:16:41and not to waste his time showing other people training films.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43And that's how it happened.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Where did you go after your training?
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I went to HMS Armadillo...
0:16:48 > 0:16:50- Never heard of it. - ..which was up in Scotland.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51Mm-hm. Was it Dunoon?
0:16:51 > 0:16:54- Yes, near Dunoon. - I did training in Dunoon.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56- Did you? - In combined operations, yeah.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58I used to go dancing in Dunoon.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00I think I danced with you once.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02- JUNE LAUGHS - You might have done.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Yeah. What kind of time did you have there? Did you enjoy it?
0:17:05 > 0:17:09I did enjoy it, because we were far away from the war,
0:17:09 > 0:17:10and we used to go as a group,
0:17:10 > 0:17:15we'd climb the mountain behind us and go down to Lochearnhead,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17we'd put ten bob in the kitty,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19then we'd have boiled egg and toast
0:17:19 > 0:17:21and then we'd go and sit in the bar
0:17:21 > 0:17:24and have whiskey and chaser, till the money ran out.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27- EDDIE LAUGHS - Then we went very cheerfully home.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30I feel very guilty about it, cos other people had a very nasty time
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- in the war.- Well, no, everybody...
0:17:32 > 0:17:36You had to do what you had to at the time,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39but it didn't mean to say you've got to be miserable.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Eddie and June are here to watch a rare surviving example
0:17:42 > 0:17:47of the kind of World War II training film June used to show.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51- VOICEOVER:- The coastline is divided into sectors on the map.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53I wonder where they made this film.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55- ..then begins to clear the exit.- Mm.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Looks a bit like Studland Beach.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Ah...
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Films like these were designed to prepare recruits for combat
0:18:03 > 0:18:06and help to standardise training across the military.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10The loud-hailers are used to give orders to personnel on the beach,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13which must be kept clear at all times.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15It all sounds so easy, doesn't it?
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- Yeah.- ..used by the beach group commander.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- I'm...- There's no defences at all shown, is there?
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Our beaches were mined.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24- No beach obstacles.- No.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29But they could never fully convey the chaos and horror
0:18:29 > 0:18:31of a genuine war scenario...
0:18:33 > 0:18:34..as Eddie was to discover,
0:18:34 > 0:18:39during the real-life drama of the 1944 D-Day landings.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41As you went out of the harbour,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43you'd never see another sea like it,
0:18:43 > 0:18:48- a great Armada was coming up the Channel, all heading east.- Yes.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54Because the rendezvous point was five miles due south of Ventnor.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56- Ah-ha.- And there... - That's the Isle of Wight.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Yes, and the Ventnor...
0:18:58 > 0:19:01There, there was a five-mile-wide channel,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03- had been swept by minesweepers. - Ah-ha, yes.
0:19:03 > 0:19:0525 miles offshore.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10There was... The ships all split to their respective beaches.
0:19:10 > 0:19:16- And we had to go to the American beach of Omaha Beach.- Yes.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Tasked with getting American troops onto Omaha Beach,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Eddie witnessed first-hand
0:19:23 > 0:19:25the terrible losses that took place there.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30Of course, many of the guys were sick, sea sick.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35- Exactly.- We only had 17 guys, I think, on board, us GIs,
0:19:35 > 0:19:40but the idea then was to remove the beach obstacles.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Most of the killing went on,
0:19:42 > 0:19:43on the beach there.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46- It was a killing zone.- Yeah.
0:19:46 > 0:19:47We dropped our ramp.
0:19:47 > 0:19:48A killing zone?
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Killing zone. We dropped the ramp on,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53- er, bodies.- Yeah.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56It was terrible.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58In fact, I...
0:20:00 > 0:20:02At the time, I used to always think that...
0:20:04 > 0:20:07..my whole life was a bonus, because I got away with it.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Yeah. I was thinking, Eddie,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14was the part I played in it as a cine op
0:20:14 > 0:20:18of any value to the war effort,
0:20:18 > 0:20:19do you think?
0:20:19 > 0:20:20It was fantastic.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Jobs like that, like you did,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25released men...
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- Yes...- Well, like myself to go and...
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Yeah, that was our function, really.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- Yes.- Take the place of the men so they could fight.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34And it was done well.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39Meeting you like this and finding out all the things that you
0:20:39 > 0:20:43and a great host of ladies,
0:20:43 > 0:20:48they all came in and did all their effort toward the war effort.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50No, it was nothing compared with what you did.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Every man appreciated the big effort
0:20:54 > 0:20:56that the women made,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58I'm quite sure that we all did.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Talking to Eddie has made me feel quite humble, in a way.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10I'm glad that we were able to support them, but what we sent them
0:21:10 > 0:21:12out to was not very pleasant.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17It has affected me quite a lot, quite honestly.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23I watched that film and, oh, it seemed so simple, didn't it?
0:21:23 > 0:21:27It was all...painting by numbers, really.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29This is what you do and this is what you do,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32but it doesn't happen like that.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Plans go awry.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41In World War II,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46no women in any British forces were directly involved in combat,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50so all naval war vessels at the time were exclusively male.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52But the Wrens excelled in numerous support roles...
0:21:54 > 0:21:57..and they were easily identified by their distinctive, highly coveted
0:21:57 > 0:22:01uniform that June had found so attractive when she first signed up.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07So she's come to the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth to
0:22:07 > 0:22:12see if an original outfit from the 1940s still has the same appeal.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17This is an example of one of the Second World War uniforms that we've
0:22:17 > 0:22:20got in the collection, and this is the sort of thing that would have
0:22:20 > 0:22:24been worn by most ratings for when they're on parade
0:22:24 > 0:22:25and things like that.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30You know, the Wrens were particularly admired because they
0:22:30 > 0:22:32did have a, sort of, more streamlined shape,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34and were seen to be a little bit more fashionable
0:22:34 > 0:22:37than some of the other service uniforms.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40And on the table here, we've got the handbag.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44This was something that was introduced after quite a campaign
0:22:44 > 0:22:49by the Wrens themselves, who hadn't had a bag at the start of the war.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51They had nothing. They were sticking all their lipsticks
0:22:51 > 0:22:53and everything in their uniform pockets.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56And there weren't many pockets either, darling. There was nothing.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58As far as I know, there was nothing on the skirt,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01but there were two pockets here.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- Here we are.- Yes, yeah.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Which are not very deep.
0:23:06 > 0:23:07No, absolutely not.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11So that's why the Wrens were campaigning to get a handbag.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14It's amazing they made a fuss like that.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Many girls did choose to purchase a sort of leather version,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21but this is the cloth version.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Does the zip still work?
0:23:23 > 0:23:26You need a bit of Vaseline on this one.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30I'd have hardly got my cigarettes in that, would I?
0:23:30 > 0:23:32As well as the outerwear,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Wrens were issued with underwear as well,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38so you got a complete outfit.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Some of it was less glamorous than the outer uniform though
0:23:41 > 0:23:44- and we've got an example. - All of it was less glamorous!
0:23:44 > 0:23:49The bra had a deep band and looked like an old lady's, you know,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52sort of very stiff and nobody wore that.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56And nobody wore these appalling drawers.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58But, I mean, I wouldn't have put those on!
0:23:58 > 0:24:00But they were like that.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02They were called passion killers.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04- Absolutely.- What did you call them?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06- Or blackouts, that was another. - Blackouts.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10No, we called them passion killers, which are not very nice
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and mine were certainly not any bigger than that.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15About...must have been about...
0:24:15 > 0:24:17No, they came just above the knee, yeah, so.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Oh, they go right down there, darling, just above my kneecaps.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25You could wear them as cycling shorts nowadays, couldn't you?
0:24:25 > 0:24:29The reasons for Wrens wearing the uniform is to develop
0:24:29 > 0:24:33that group identity, and in wartime as well it's a way of showing your
0:24:33 > 0:24:37patriotic duty by saying that you are doing your bit for
0:24:37 > 0:24:40the war effort as well, rather than just in a civilian role, too.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46By the time June became a uniformed recruit,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Wrens worked in nearly 200 different roles.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51They may not have fought on the front line,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54but they covered almost every other aspect of naval life...
0:24:55 > 0:24:58..including some truly pioneering positions.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Alongside traditional responsibilities as cooks
0:25:02 > 0:25:05and clerics, Wrens became dispatch riders,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07carrying vital messages through Blitz-hit cities...
0:25:09 > 0:25:12..they also maintained and loaded torpedoes
0:25:12 > 0:25:14and ran supplies to warships.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20June may have doubts about the impact of her role in the war...
0:25:21 > 0:25:25..but Wrens like Dorothy Runnacles saw themselves as trailblazers
0:25:25 > 0:25:28in jobs previously considered only suitable for men.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Oh, you were a pretty woman.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34I was just jolly looking, like you.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- I was beautiful, if you don't mind! - All right.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46In 1943, aged 18, Dorothy was selected to train
0:25:46 > 0:25:50as an air radio mechanic, looking after communications equipment
0:25:50 > 0:25:52for planes in the Navy's fleet air arm.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56They put me on this wonderful course that they made
0:25:56 > 0:25:59a two-year course into a nine-month one.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04Here we all are in this course in Chelsea, at Chelsea College,
0:26:04 > 0:26:09and we did this air radio course which introduced us to radios.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13That's because I studied physics and maths at school.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16- Oh, oh, you were clever! - Well, it was chance.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19- In those days, not many girls did that, you see.- No, I know.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24- We were to check and absolutely make good, repair, fit...- Yes.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28- Test, air test. - All the radio equipment?
0:26:28 > 0:26:31The equipment for communication.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34But when Dorothy took up her first position on the Isle of Man,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36she encountered some resistance.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I reported to the air radio officer.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42So I said, "I'm your air radio mechanic."
0:26:42 > 0:26:43He looked at me, he said, "What?"
0:26:43 > 0:26:45He was expecting a man.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47- Oh, yes.- And I could see the disappointment.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- What year was this?- 1944 by now.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53- Yes.- And he said, "Can you type?
0:26:53 > 0:26:57"I need a secretary." I said, "No, I can't type."
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Anyway, he kindly allowed me to do the job by saying,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03"Well, you'll start at once, because we've been waiting for you,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05- "you're late."- Yes.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07So eventually he forgave me for that, gave me a bicycle,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10and he said, "You go straight to the air radio office."
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Chap who was on duty looked absolutely exhausted,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17and he said to me, "Oh, thank goodness someone's come."
0:27:17 > 0:27:19He said, "I've just got to go and sleep."
0:27:19 > 0:27:22He'd had to do two or three duties successively.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24So I said, "Well, what do I do?"
0:27:24 > 0:27:27He said, "Here's the book, it's all in there."
0:27:27 > 0:27:31And so my very first job was a night duty, and so I thought,
0:27:31 > 0:27:32"Well, I can do this."
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Dorothy, how did it change your life, being in the Wrens?
0:27:36 > 0:27:39It gave me opportunities to do things that I wouldn't
0:27:39 > 0:27:43have had the chance to do. You saw women pilots, women mechanics,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47women doing all sorts of jobs they weren't intended...
0:27:47 > 0:27:51I never imagined I would be doing what I was doing in those years.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55But there are still women going into the Navy, doing the jobs that
0:27:55 > 0:27:57we did, so we did break through for them.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02Many women, like Dorothy, would say their military service,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06whether in the Navy, Army or the RAF, resulted in extraordinary
0:28:06 > 0:28:10personal experiences which have shaped their entire lives.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15It broadens your minds.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16You stick up for yourself.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19You start being independent,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21and them sort of things.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23I mean, the three years that I was in the forces,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25I did everything I wanted.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27And it was fantastic.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29I enjoyed every single minute of it.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31I just wanted to make something of myself.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34I didn't want to just stay at home and, say, either,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36just get a job in a factory.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40I'd done that, you know, and I wanted to make something of myself.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44I wanted adventure, and I wanted to do different things,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47and anything that was offered to me, I would say yes to.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50It was a marvellous experience for me, wonderful.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Best thing that ever happened.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54To be away and to mix with other girls
0:28:54 > 0:28:57and be independent, to give orders!
0:28:57 > 0:29:00As a corporal, which... I was a bit laid-back,
0:29:00 > 0:29:02but we got through it anyway.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08The service of the Wrens proved vital over the course of World War II.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14And the same was true of the female recruits to the Army and the Air Force,
0:29:14 > 0:29:16demonstrating beyond doubt women's ability to
0:29:16 > 0:29:19serve their country in support of the men.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Following the Allied victory in 1945,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28they were celebrated for their contribution to Britain's defences.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32And four years later, the Wrens were made a permanent part of the Navy.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38But their ambitions didn't stop there.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Over the next decades, as their roles developed,
0:29:41 > 0:29:42they wanted full equality,
0:29:42 > 0:29:45and the opportunity to take on combat duties.
0:29:47 > 0:29:48In 1990,
0:29:48 > 0:29:52they were able to go to sea on operations for the very first time.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55And three years later, the Wrens were disbanded
0:29:55 > 0:30:00as its 4,500 women were fully integrated into the Navy.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08Today, women are an essential part of ships' companies.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13So June's been invited aboard HMS Mersey, moored on the Thames,
0:30:13 > 0:30:17to see first-hand how men and women in the Navy now work side-by-side.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Sub Lieutenant Fran Howes is one of four women
0:30:22 > 0:30:25on the mixed crew of this patrol vessel.
0:30:25 > 0:30:26So we're in what part?
0:30:26 > 0:30:28So this is called two deck.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31So this is the main corridor that runs through the ship.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34So there you go, if you come in here, this is my cabin.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37It's double bunks, so you can have a visitor!
0:30:37 > 0:30:40- So on...- It's a spacious loo and shower.
0:30:40 > 0:30:41And a shower as well.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45So on Mersey, you'll get the maximum of two people per cabin.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48So you'll just have one cabin mate throughout your time on board,
0:30:48 > 0:30:51and they all have ensuite bathrooms, as well.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53So actually, it's quite a lot like a university cabin
0:30:53 > 0:30:55or something like that, you know?
0:30:55 > 0:30:59The crew patrol UK waters for at least four weeks at a time,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02and up to 200 miles into the Atlantic Ocean.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04How many decks are there, then?
0:31:04 > 0:31:07So there's three decks essentially on board.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09So this is the bridge.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13So this is where day-to-day we navigate and drive the ship from.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16This bit here is where you actually drive the ship.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18Aha, the helmsman.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20- The helmsman.- Was the one who...
0:31:20 > 0:31:23And now you drive ships, I don't know!
0:31:23 > 0:31:25Might as well be in a car.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29As an agile vessel of the Navy fleet,
0:31:29 > 0:31:34it's also used to escort foreign warships passing through UK waters.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36These are our navigation terminals.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40From here you can zoom in and out.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44And you can see from there, that dot there, that's where we are.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46And all that bendy bit of the river.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Yeah, exactly. So it's called a WECDIS.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53So Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- I know! - THEY LAUGH
0:31:56 > 0:31:59- You confuse me with all these terms! - I know, I'm sorry.
0:31:59 > 0:32:00I confuse myself sometimes.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04In the past, women were primarily recruited
0:32:04 > 0:32:06to release men for front-line duties.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Now they serve alongside them.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Since joining the Navy two years ago,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15Fran has worked her way up to become a junior warfare officer.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18But she'd like to progress even further.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22Now, this is an offshore patrol boat, isn't it?
0:32:22 > 0:32:24So what is your life like on it?
0:32:24 > 0:32:27What you do? How do you find it?
0:32:27 > 0:32:29So, on an offshore patrol vessel,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32we'll go out for sort of two weeks at a time,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34come back in for a couple of days, refuel,
0:32:34 > 0:32:36and then go back out for two weeks again.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38For me, I'm in the watch rotation,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41so I do bridge watches, so in 24 hours,
0:32:41 > 0:32:43I'll be on the bridge for eight hours,
0:32:43 > 0:32:45so that could be at four in the morning,
0:32:45 > 0:32:47it could be at four in the evening.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Eight-hour, three eight-hours.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Are there many romances on board?
0:32:52 > 0:32:53No, definitely not.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55There, you see, that's amazing.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58But it's almost as if you treat them as chaps,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00and they treat you as chaps.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03Just colleagues, really. We all treat each other, you know.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06I don't mind if I'm on watch with a male officer or a female officer.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09You know, it's just work at the end of the day, really.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Strange. Doesn't seem to matter any more, does it?
0:33:12 > 0:33:13Yes. Which is nice, I think.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15I suppose it is, yes.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18How long do you think you'll stay?
0:33:18 > 0:33:21It's a career, you know, I joined up for a career.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24And I like, you know, it's quite cool seeing the captain
0:33:24 > 0:33:27as a professional, his life's work. He knows exactly what he's doing.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30It would be quite nice to get to that level and be, you know,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32a proper professional naval officer.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37For June, this is a world away from life as a Wren in the 1940s.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Drinking pink gin with officers aboard a moored submarine
0:33:41 > 0:33:43was her only experience of a war vessel.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46And even at the height of the war,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48women and weapons rarely mixed.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52- What's this, darling? - This is the...our 20 mil.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54So this is our 20 mil gun.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56They'll fit their shoulders in there.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58Shoulders? Both shoulders?
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Yeah. And then you put your hands on there.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Yeah.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05Just on there. And then from there, you can... It won't twist now,
0:34:05 > 0:34:08- but you can twist it. - What happens with this hand?
0:34:08 > 0:34:10That's your squeeze.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12- That will shoot it. It's the trigger.- Oh.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14It's very complicated.
0:34:14 > 0:34:15I know!
0:34:15 > 0:34:17And it's a very big gun.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23The breakthrough moment when women first served at sea
0:34:23 > 0:34:26came with the voyage of the frigate HMS Brilliant.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33On 8th October, 1990, the ship set sail with 16 female recruits in its crew.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Lieutenant Commander Kate Welch was one of those pioneering women aboard.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46And as June hears her story, she starts to reassess her own views
0:34:46 > 0:34:49on what a woman's role in the Navy should be.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51I have a photograph there,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53of the original batch.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56The first batch of girls that joined. There were 14 girls
0:34:56 > 0:34:59that joined her in Plymouth Naval Base
0:34:59 > 0:35:01in October of 1990.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Before we joined the ship, we did a seamanship course,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07we did firefighting and basic sea survival courses,
0:35:07 > 0:35:11first aid training as well, just to give us the basics that we needed.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14And we sailed straight into a pretty intensive
0:35:14 > 0:35:18operational sea training period, which was probably the best thing
0:35:18 > 0:35:22that could have happened to us, and for us.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27It was a landmark moment for the service, which thrust the group into the limelight.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Huge, huge amount of press attention.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35- Of course, you were...- We were the first. We were pioneers, I suppose.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Some were very supportive,
0:35:37 > 0:35:41and other elements were not quite so supportive and
0:35:41 > 0:35:44didn't think it would necessarily work, having women on board
0:35:44 > 0:35:47a floating tin can a long way away from home.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50I was like that. I didn't think it was a good idea at all.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53But actually, for us, involved in it, we weren't there as women,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56we were there as sailors on our ship, doing our job.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59You know, part of the whole ship's company.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02We felt very strongly about that as well, so we got quite grumpy
0:36:02 > 0:36:05when we saw some of these reports of what we were supposedly doing,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07and could and could not do.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10You know, we were there in a professional capacity,
0:36:10 > 0:36:12as part of the ship's company doing our...
0:36:12 > 0:36:15- You've always got to have two sides. - Yes, you have. Yes.
0:36:15 > 0:36:21How did the men actually react to you coming on as... Well,
0:36:21 > 0:36:23as equals, in some respects?
0:36:23 > 0:36:25I think there was probably a degree of scepticism
0:36:25 > 0:36:27to start off with.
0:36:27 > 0:36:32And probably a little bit of doubt that we'd be able to do our job.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36- Do the job, mmm.- And do the whole ship tasks as well, in that sort of
0:36:36 > 0:36:38very alien environment to us.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42But I think the operational sea training that we went into early on
0:36:42 > 0:36:45sorted us out pretty quickly, and it proved,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49hopefully proved to the majority on board that we were up to the job,
0:36:49 > 0:36:51- we could do it.- Yes.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54But before women could serve aboard a ship, there were
0:36:54 > 0:36:57very practical issues that had to be addressed.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00They needed separate sleeping quarters
0:37:00 > 0:37:02and uniforms had to be redesigned,
0:37:02 > 0:37:05and not all of that was ready when the ship set sail.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08They didn't have the right kit for us, so...
0:37:09 > 0:37:14..we ended up wearing men's uniform, and struggling to get boots to fit.
0:37:14 > 0:37:15- I was fine... - Good job you were tall.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17It was a bit of a struggle.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20So I spent, only spent ten months on board Brilliant,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23but that included service out in the first Gulf War.
0:37:23 > 0:37:28It's learning to not only form your professional role on board,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31but also how you perform as a member of the ship's company.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Bathrooms were separate as well, so it just put a little bit
0:37:34 > 0:37:36of pressure on domestic arrangements on board.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Did you have guards on the door?
0:37:38 > 0:37:40No. We just scowled at them, it was fine.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44It was fine, we wore very long dressing gowns with our flip flops
0:37:44 > 0:37:46back and forth between the mess and the showers!
0:37:48 > 0:37:51The ship's company quickly adapted to the change,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54as they had to focus on the mission in hand.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58They were heading to the Gulf to join 15,000 other British servicemen
0:37:58 > 0:38:01and women who were actively involved in the Iraq conflict.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05What was your port there?
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- We were just sailing up and down the northern Persian Gulf.- Yeah.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10So we were patrolling out there,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13supporting the civilian or merchant shipping out there and providing...
0:38:13 > 0:38:16So although it was a war situation, you weren't involved in...
0:38:16 > 0:38:18We didn't come under direct fire.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Occasionally there was the threat of a Scud missile attack,
0:38:21 > 0:38:25so we'd have to close the ship down and prepare, just in case.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29We exercised all the time, just in case we did come under attack.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32- Always in case, isn't it?- Just in case. We'd got to be prepared.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37It's clear to June that whether serving in the Gulf War
0:38:37 > 0:38:40or providing aid to disaster-hit areas,
0:38:40 > 0:38:44women are now an integral part of Britain's naval forces.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47And 71 years after her own two years in uniform,
0:38:47 > 0:38:51she's about to have an opportunity that would have been impossible
0:38:51 > 0:38:55for any woman in her day - to steer a Royal Navy vessel.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Morning, ma'am. I'm Oliver Brown, I'm the captain of HMS Puncher.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00You called me ma'am, how sweet.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04- I'd rather be "mam", then I'd be the Queen.- That is very true!
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Captain Brown is keen to show June what she's been missing.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13- Why are we swaying? Oh, of course, we're on a boat.- Yes.
0:39:13 > 0:39:14And here we are.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17It's funny how you have a steering wheel, nowadays, isn't it?
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Yes, a lot of people are surprised how large it is,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24considering it's much the same as it always has been.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28So, HMS Puncher, obviously, we're one of the smaller ships in the Navy.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32There's 14 P200s, and it's open to everyone,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35so we've currently got five female captains of the ships,
0:39:35 > 0:39:39who do exactly the same jobs as us, and obviously in today's Navy,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41they're pushing through
0:39:41 > 0:39:43and we've got commanders of all sorts of ships,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46and all different backgrounds and experiences.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49But you have no opinion about that really, because you're young
0:39:49 > 0:39:53and it just was as it is now, was as it was when you joined?
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Yes. Very much so. So when you first were in the Navy,
0:39:56 > 0:39:59it was a completely different environment.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- Now we work side by side.- Yes.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06Like every one of the Royal Navy's 70-plus commissioned ships
0:40:06 > 0:40:10and submarines, this one has an essential role to play.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14Ultimately, life in the Royal Navy is training for a "just in case",
0:40:14 > 0:40:17and we all hope that we never actually end up doing our ultimate job.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20But a lot is going on at the moment in the world.
0:40:20 > 0:40:25Yes, well, at the moment we're just, we're sending HMS Ocean,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29we've got the RFAs, and a Type 45 heading over to the Caribbean,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32because obviously, on top of the war fighting, we also do
0:40:32 > 0:40:35the humanitarian relief, so it's showing that global presence, yes.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39Today it's June's job to navigate the River Thames,
0:40:39 > 0:40:42and it's the ultimate example of just how women's roles
0:40:42 > 0:40:44across all the Armed Forces have changed.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46It's quite simple and easy.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48We'll go around the lock, it's nice and open, and clear,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and everyone will be in safe hands whilst you're on the wheel.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55- Do you want me to?- It would be great to have you do it.
0:40:55 > 0:40:56- I thought you did.- Yeah.
0:40:56 > 0:41:01- Do you mind, Lt Beattie, if we change places?- I don't mind.
0:41:01 > 0:41:02So we've got the engines just here,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05where we can control both of the engines.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08So we've got the positions of Slow Astern and Slow Ahead.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11That's now having the engines both going in a different direction,
0:41:11 > 0:41:14- which is...- Slow Astern is backwards?- Backwards, yes.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18So you can see now the ship's head is turning slowly.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20So we'll just let us come left of the buoys.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Am I all right steering over here?
0:41:22 > 0:41:25- Yeah, that's absolutely fine. - I don't want to go that way.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27If you turn the wheel round to the right...
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Yeah, just keep coming further round.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33In a moment, I'm going to have to...
0:41:33 > 0:41:37I don't think you say straighten up, I think it's to do with a car.
0:41:37 > 0:41:39- Steady up.- Steady up!- Yeah.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42- Once we get to the end, we'll turn all the way round.- Right.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44- Yeah.- Do a U-turn!
0:41:46 > 0:41:51When I started this programme, I had a certain prejudice against the Navy
0:41:51 > 0:41:56being one, that women and men were just the Navy.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59I just couldn't see that it could happen.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03I suppose, looking back, that being in the Wrens
0:42:03 > 0:42:06did enrich my life in a way.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08I never really realised it.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10There was a freedom about it.
0:42:11 > 0:42:18Comparing it with today, they also find that it enriches their lives,
0:42:18 > 0:42:23these people who are no longer Wrens, who are just part of the Navy.
0:42:23 > 0:42:29And I suppose, being offered a drive of this offshore patrol boat
0:42:29 > 0:42:33made me realise that I would have been perfectly capable
0:42:33 > 0:42:35of doing this when I was young.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41I have changed.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44And I have lost a lot of my prejudice.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48And I can see that the Navy works very well
0:42:48 > 0:42:51in its integrated form.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55So it's helped me a lot to accept that society...
0:42:56 > 0:42:57..has moved on.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01And I've had a lovely day today.