CWAC CANADIAN WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS JACKET

This is a woman's 1955 Army Corp 4-button, wool jacket with 4 helmeted “CWAC” Athena buttons. Along with two  brown epaulets closed with small helmeted Athena buttons.

The labels states:

THE COPPLEY, NOYES

& RANDALL LTD

COAT WOMEN

KAKI WOOL

RAYON

1955

SIZE 16 REGULAR

BUST 37.5

Under the label has the Canadian C broad arrow mark.

Very good condition.  It states size 16 regular however it looks more like a woman's size 12 by todays standards.

Although not a WW2 Canadian CWAC women’s tunic they are almost identical.

CWAC: “Canadian Women’s Army Corps” is a non-combatant branch of the Canadian military reserved for women, created during the Second World War, in order to free men from non-combatant roles in the Canadian armed forces, as part of the Canadian war effort.

The Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) was authorized on August 13, 1941, in response to a shortage of personnel caused by male involvement in the armed forces. The creation of the unit was the work of Mrs. Joan Kennedy, who faced opposition from conventional male military authorities. In 1941, the organization was named the “Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Corps” but was not officially part of the armed forces. On March 13, 1942, the women volunteers were officially integrated into the Canadian Army and became the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. They wore a regulation uniform and a cap badge consisting of three maple leaves and a collar badge representing the goddess Athena.

The CWACs served overseas, first in 1942 in Washington, D.C., and then in the United Kingdom. In 1944, CWACs also served in Italy and in 1945 in northwestern Europe. After victory in Europe, some served with the Canadian occupation forces in Germany. Approximately 3,000 Canadian volunteers enlisted to serve their country’s forces. The CWACS were permanently disbanded in 1964.