Group    From 1938 

Women's Voluntary Services

Categories: Benefactor

A voluntary organisation concerned with helping people in need throughout the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1938 by Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading, as a British women's organisation to recruit women into the Air Raid Precautions (ARP) services to help in the event of war. In 1966 its name was changed to the Women's Royal Voluntary Service, and in 2004 to just the WRVS. In 2013 it became the Royal Voluntary Service, to acknowledge the fact that some of its members were men.

In 2017 the Guardian reported that the archives of the organisation's 'narrative reports' are available on-line.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Women's Voluntary Services

Commemorated ati

Stella, Lady Reading

Stella Lady Reading, 1894 - 1971, Founder of the Women's Voluntary Services, ...

Read More

Other Subjects

Horatio Prater

Horatio Prater

Our colleague, Andrew Behan, has found someone who is probably our man, Andrew writes: I can find no evidence of an H. Prater in the Croydon area in the 1880's so I believe that the Historic Engla...

Person, Benefactor, Medicine

2 memorials
Edward Bostock

Edward Bostock

Bostock.net has an obituary and some photographs, and supplied the information here. Born Hampstead, son of Geoffrey.  Worked as a chartered accountant, a partner in the family firm of Annan Dexte...

Person, Benefactor, Politics & Administration

2 memorials
Henry Lewis Raphael & sons Walter & Herbert

Henry Lewis Raphael & sons Walter & Herbert

Henry Lewis Raphael had 12 children with his wife Henriette. Walter, the 6th died 12 October 1938 in Bournemouth. Herbert, the 9th, born 23 December 1859, became an MP and died 25 September 1924, F...

Group, Benefactor, Politics & Administration

2 memorials

Previously viewed

Tower Hamlets Council

Tower Hamlets Council

The name was originally applied to the Tower division of the county of Middlesex. This division was a liberty, i.e. it was an autonomous area under the jurisdiction of the Constable of the Tower of...

Group, Politics & Administration

53 memorials
Sarah da ??? ???

Sarah da ??? ???

This person's grave was destroyed by a WW2 bomb. The name is on the north-east face of the pedestal.

Person

1 memorial
Ninian Donald

Ninian Donald

Aged 33, killed by a left-turning lorry, leaving his girlfriend and 19-month-old daughter. A set builder on photo shoots for magazines. Cycling from his studio in Hackney to a nearby hardware shop,...

Person, Cyclist, Tragedy

1 memorial
Willie Rushton

Willie Rushton

Satirical cartoonist, comedian and author. Born 3 Wilbraham Place, Chelsea. Worked on 'That was the week that was', 'Not only...But also', 'I'm sorry I haven't a clue' (where he revelled in the arc...

Person, Humour, TV & Radio

2 memorials
George Harvey
War dead, WW1
1 memorial