Army and Air Force (Women's Service) Act 1948

1948 CHAPTER 21

An Act to enable women to he commissioned and enlisted for service in His Majesty's land and air forces, and for purposes connected therewith.

[24th March 1948.]

Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Power to raise women's land and air forces

The power to raise and maintain land and air forces vested in His Majesty by statute shall include power to raise and maintain forces consisting of or including women, and it is hereby declared that the like power is included in the power to raise land forces vested in His Majesty by virtue of the prerogative of the Crown.

2 Capacity of women to hold commissions in land and air forces

Such women as are selected by His Majesty to serve as officers in any land or air forces may be granted and may hold commissions to serve as officers therein.

3 Application to women of the Army and Air Force Acts, and interpretation and adaptation of those and other enactments

(1) Subject to the next succeeding subsection, the provisions of the Army Act and of the Air Force Act which specify the persons who are persons subject to military law or to the Air Force Act, or to whom the provisions of those Acts respectively may be applied, and any other enactment (including enactments in those Acts other than the provisions aforesaid) in so far as it contains the words " men ", " soldiers ", " airmen " or other words .importing a reference to persons of the male sex only as, or as having been, or as capable of being, members of the land or air forces, shall have effect as if for such words there had been substituted therein words having a like meaning in other respects but importing a reference to persons of either sex.

(2) His Majesty may by Order in Council make provision for adaptations and modifications of enactments appearing to him to be requisite in consequence of the preceding provisions of this Act or of things done thereunder:

Provided that a draft of any Order in Council proposed to be made under this subsection shall be laid before each House of Parliament, and the draft shall not be submitted to His Majesty in Council unless each House of Parliament presents an Address to His Majesty praying that the Order be made.

4 Operation of National Service Acts not to be affected

Nothing in this Act or done thereunder shall render a woman liable to be called up for service under the National Service Acts, 1939 to 1947.

5 Short title and commencement

This Act may be cited as the Army and Air Force (Women's Service) Act, 1948, and shall come into operation on such day as His Majesty may by Order in Council appoint.