Group    From 1938 

Women's Voluntary Service

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.

Known as the Women's Voluntary Services, 1938-66; Women's Royal Voluntary Service, 1966-2004 and WRVS 2004-13. 

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 Service

Commemorated ati

Stella, Lady Reading

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

Read More

Other Subjects

Duke of Westminster, 6th, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor

Duke of Westminster, 6th, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor

Born Omagh, N. Ireland. Extremely rich landowner, possessing vast chunks of Lancashire, Cheshire and Scotland as well as most of Mayfair and Belgravia. There are bits of Paris, Canada and Spain he ...

Person, Benefactor, Property, Ireland

7 memorials
Lady Margaret Butler-Charteris

Lady Margaret Butler-Charteris

Daughter of the Scots Richard Butler, 2nd Earl of Glengall (1794 – 1858) and wife, then widow, to the Irish Richard Charteris (1822 – 1874). She was the eldest daughter and heir to her father.  Th...

Person, Benefactor, Ireland, Scotland

1 memorial
The Ashden Trust

The Ashden Trust

Charity. One of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts, which focuses on climate change, sustainable development and improving the quality of life in poor communities.

Group, Benefactor

1 memorial