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Women at War by Phyllis Pearsall #book

Some while ago I discovered an amazing war artist called Anthony Gross.  In 1942 he sailed on a troop carrier, the m.v. Highland Monarch, from England to Egypt via Sierra Leone and the Indian Ocean.  He made a series of drawings during the eight week voyage which are a fantastic record of daily life on board ship. Check out: Anthony Gross, official war artist, and the Convoy series of drawings and Official war artist Anthony Gross to read more about him. More recently, I've discovered that Anthony Gross had a sister, Phyllis, who was also an artist. 1940 Born Phyllis Isobella Gross, her lifelong nickname was PIG.  Phyllis became one of Britain's most intriguing entrepreneurs and self-made millionaires. After an eight year marriage to Richard Pearsall and subsequent divorce, Phyllis had to support herself and so she became a portrait painter. This was in the 1930s. While working as a portrait painter and trying to find her patrons' houses Phyllis Pearsal

WRNS working as radio mechanics in 1943

I found some interesting photos the other day of women in the Women's Royal Naval Service with the Fleet Air Arm in Scotland in 1943. The first photo shows the WRNS working as radio mechanics. They are preparing to board a Fleet Air Arm aircraft to test the radio whilst the aircraft is in flight. This was the job my dad did too and he also started his service in Scotland before being sent out to West Africa. By Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons This photo is even more interesting as it gives a great idea of what the job of the radio mechanic entailed. By Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons When they weren't fixing the radios, the WRNS could also turn their hands to other electrical equipment in need of repair! By Ministry of Information Photo Division Photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

MONAB in Australia

I found an interesting film segment on YouTube the other day. It's a Pathe News clip showing a MONAB in Australia. If MONAB is an unfamiliar term then maybe read these posts first. http://tinned-variety.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/monab-1-10.html http://tinned-variety.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/hms-nabaron-monab-4-msr6-1945.html The caption seems to suggest that  the film is of Australian forces  but I think they're British forces. Anyway, at the opening of the clip  there's some really good footage of the sort of activities  the MONAB was involved in. By the way, anyone who has a particular interest in  WW2 in the Pacific will like this website: Pacific Wrecks .