For International Women’s Day, we had the immense privilege of being invited down to the RAF Club in London by The Taxi Charity, to hear an interview with two of our World War II female veterans: Dorothea Barron and Ruth Bourne.
Their stories are an incredible testament to the courage, resilience, and determination that defined a generation of women who stepped up when the world needed them most.
Dorothea Barron
Dorothea, now 100 years old, served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service from 1942 to 1945. When she first applied, she was told she was too short. ‘I was desperate to join’ said Dorothea ‘so I stuffed my shoes with cardboard, puffed up my hair and told them I was 5ft 3! I think they must have known but saw how determined I was’. After being allowed in, she then went on to teach soldiers how to use semaphore flags and transmit morse code. Unbeknownst to her, these were the very troops who were preparing for the D-Day landings.
At the end of the war, Dorothea was thanked for her service with food and clothing coupons and was told to ‘go and buy herself a suit’. Following this, any employment was often thwarted with the response ‘you can’t have that job, we need to keep it for man as he has to provide for his family’! In 1968, she became an Art teacher at a private primary school where she stayed until retirement.
Even at 100, Dorothea remains as fearless as ever and took the skies in a Spitfire in 2024 . She attends a yoga class every Monday of which she says ‘if you do anything, exercise the feet!’ When asked what advice she has for women today, she said:
“I think women should be proud of themselves and their achievements... and leave the men to be proud of what they think they’ve done.”
Well said, Dorothea!
Ruth Bourne
Ruth, now 98 yrs old, was one of the Women of Bletchley Park, a team put together by the British Government which saw her signing the Official Secrets Act. She was among those who helped to operate the Bombe machine, a device invented by Alan Turing that eventually went on to crack the Enigma Code. Due to the secret nature of her role, Ruth was unaware of the scale of her contribution and it was only when the official secrets act lifted 30yrs on that she found out.
‘I remember when the act lifted, my husband coming home from work and I told him what I had done throughout the war. He responded ‘that’s nice dear, now what’s for tea!’
Ruth then went on to run a launderette with her husband and pioneered ‘flexi-working’ for women. ‘Many of our female workers had children so I opened a blank work sheet and told them they could arrange different shifts amongst themselves. Everyone in the area wanted to come and work for us!’
When asked what advice she would give to women today, she said:
“Press on regardless, that’s what we used to say in the war. Also, when one door closes, there’s always another one…you just have to look for the opening’.
Listening to Dorothea and Ruth, we were struck not only by their bravery but by their determination to step up and do what needed to be done. Their stories remind us of the countless other women who served, many of whom never received the recognition they deserved.
At Distinct Distillers, we’re eternally grateful for their sacrifices and want to do what we can to honour their legacy. Our upcoming launch of our VE Day Gin, a spirit distilled on our historic WW2 site commemorates the 80th anniversary and £2 is donated to the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, ensuring the sacrifices of our veterans are never forgotten.
So today, we raise a glass to all the incredible women serving both past and present…thank you for your service.
