Deirdre Webster Braine

Henry Edward Braine and Rosaline Florence Webster had two children Barbara and Deirdre.

"Deirdre" is sometimes spelt "Deidre" but Deirdre was not at all happy when her name was misspelt.

Deirdre attended St Hilda's Church of England School for Girls (now St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls) in Mosman Park from February 1931 to May 1941. Do you know any of the people in this class photograph?

Back Row: Miss Palmer, Pamela Cliff, Deirdre Braine, Delphine Parker, Pat Delvies (= Patricia E Davies?), Laura Acton, Joy Edmonson (= Betty Joy Edmondson?), Mrs Nicolls
Second Back Row: Judy Manford, Rosemary Harthill (=Rosemary Hartill?), Elizabeth Goode, Margaret Stuart-Taylor, Constance Whitford?, Shirley Jones, Barbara Gilmore, Valerie Stevens
Second Row from front (seated): Joan Ware?, Margaret Terry, Phylis Glaskin (=Phillis Glaskin?), Elizabeth Atkins, Judy Dickson
Front Row: June Deray, ? Green?, Rosemary Hunn, Pamela Merley

During World War II she served in the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS), service number WF15722. Can you identify any of these personnel pictured with Deirdre at the Guildford Transport School (WA) in December 1943?

Clockwise from the top the names or nicknames for these army personnel are:
"Phil"; "Brainey" - Deirdre Webster Braine, WF15722 (17 June 1924 - 26 August 1988); "Youngie" - Ruth Young, probably Ruth Victoria Young nee Sweetman (later Burrows) WF90980 (24 May 1918 - 6 May 1990); "Westie" - Alice Minna Westphal, WF15702 (29 January 1916 - 27 August 2014); "Syb" - Sybil May Haggerty, WF15730; "Glen"; "Smithie"- probably Erica Ruth Smith, WF15726 or Ruby Rebecca Smith WF94516

For further biographical details of Deirdre Braine see:
Spencer, John (2004) From Hartpury to the Antipodes - The Brains: A Family History Published by the author, Riseley UK

Any comments, corrections, anecdotes or other additional information welcome! Please contact John using the feedback button.

One page in the series The Websters of Ashleigh