Historical information
This uniform belonged to Marion Elaine Caffrey, nee Bullock (1920-1993). Marion was born and lived in Begonia Road, Gardenvale and attended Star of the Sea College with her younger twin sisters, Hilary and Margaret Bullock. Their family had been living in the district since 1892 when their grandfather, James Stewart, settled first at Brighton Beach before building a new home in Gardenia Road, Gardenvale in 1910.
On leaving school, Marion took a job with the T&G Insurance Company in Collins Street. However, as the threat of invasion by Japan loomed closer following the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the fall of Singapore, in 1943 she volunteered to join Australia's war effort as part of the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS). She initially trained as a coder at HMAS Cerberus, followed by a posting to HMAS Magnetic in Townsville.
By the time Marion arrived in Townsville in 1944 it was very much a garrison town, inhabited largely by Australian and American servicemen. Whereas in Melbourne the war in the Pacific may have felt somewhat distant, in Townsville it was very immediate. Though the town was never subjected to the heavy bombardments of Darwin, a series of small air strikes in July 1942 had made the fear of air raids quite real.
The naval base HMAS Magnetic was responsible for communications, Port Examination Services and servicing of Allied warships. Marion worked as a coder, encoding outgoing transmissions and decoding incoming ones either manually or using a Typex cipher machine. In 1945, she completed additional training to attain the rank of Leading Coder. Her keenness for the work is evident in a note on her service record: although no WRANS women were ever sent to active warzones, Marion volunteered for overseas service.
Marion later recalled her time with the WRANS as one of the happiest and most personally fulfilling times of her life. Like many Australian women, she embraced the opportunity to serve her country and take on roles traditionally reserved for men. She completed her three years' service at HMAS Harman in Canberra where she was de-mobbed in 1946. Afterwards, she secured a job with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, where she worked until her marriage to Hugh Caffrey in 1947.
Physical description
Second World War WRANS uniform consisting of a dark navy blue serge blazer (.1), skirt (.2) and hat (.3). The blazer features six buttons. The left arm features a black patch embroidered with a red anchor wrapped in a length of rope (a fouled anchor) with a single red chevron beneath, denoting the rank of Leading Wran (equivalent to Leading Seaman). The right arm features a black patch embroidered with red crossed flags over the letter 'C'. The pencil skirt is lined and fastens at the side with a button and snap fastenings. The navy felt hat features a round brim and a black ribbon band machine embroidered in gold with the words "H.M.A.S. HARMAN".
Inscriptions & markings
Maker's label in collar of blazer reads "N491 / 1942 / SIZE [indistinct] / MADE IN AUSTRALIA" The label features a pen inscription, "BULLOCK". Size label in back of skirt: "2". Label inside the hat: "N18 / 1944 Size 20½ / MADE IN AUSTRALIA"
