Black and white photograph showing a row of women in military uniform, standing next to view cameras on tripods. They stand in a yard or parade ground. In the background is a brick building with tall windows, three lights wide.
A group of women from the Women's Auxiliary Air Force posed with their cameras outside the RAF's No. 2 School of Photography on 15 September 1941, photographed by Allied Newspapers Limited, Manchester. Source: Historic England Archive. CHP01/07/01/005.
A group of women from the Women's Auxiliary Air Force posed with their cameras outside the RAF's No. 2 School of Photography on 15 September 1941, photographed by Allied Newspapers Limited, Manchester. Source: Historic England Archive. CHP01/07/01/005.

A WAAF's Tale: The Knicky Chapman Collection

Knicky Chapman was an amateur photographer who served with the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) during the Second World War. Included in the Knicky Chapman Collection is a set of black and white photographs taken during her time with the WAAF, from her training in Blackpool to working at the world-famous Pinewood Studios.

Discover the Knicky Chapman Collection

Contents

Who was Knicky Chapman?

Knicky Chapman was born Dorothy Knapman in January 1912. Known as Knicky since childhood, she attended Coventry School of Art in the early 1930s, studying art and photography.

Her first job was at a photographic studio in Coventry. She then worked in studios in Sheffield and London in the run-up to the Second World War.

This experience would prove an invaluable asset in her contribution to the war effort.

The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)

The Women's Auxiliary Air Force was founded on 28 June 1939. Its role was to fill non-combat roles within the Royal Air Force (RAF) with women, releasing men for combat duties.

Within its first year, over 10,000 women had volunteered. With the introduction of conscription in December 1941, the number grew rapidly. By 1945, a quarter of a million women had served in the WAAF in over 110 different roles and trades.

For many women, this would be their first experience of leaving home and living independently of their family and an opportunity to learn new skills.

Knicky Chapman volunteered to join the WAAF before the introduction of conscription. Probably due to her work experience, she was one of the first group of women to be trained at No. 2 School of Photography. The first intake of 26 women arrived at the School on 2 August 1941. Their training began on 18 August.

'Luce Scribimus' – 'We Write with Light'

When the Second World War started in 1939, it was clear that aerial reconnaissance would play a significant role in the Allies' campaigns. Although a School of Photography had been in existence since 1915 in Farnborough, the demand for more skilled personnel grew. In August 1940, a second training school was established in Blackpool, using a former technical school on Palatine Road, now part of the Blackpool and The Fylde College.

The new school, under the command of Squadron Leader WH Dunton, was known as No. 2 School of Photography. During the short time it existed, it trained hundreds of men and women in photographic skills.

Until now, little information about No. 2 School was known, probably because it existed only during the war years. The photographs in the Knicky Chapman Collection document the daily life and the training of the women who passed through the School in the early 1940s. These images give a fascinating insight into the life of the WAAF trainees during this time.

Training at No. 2 School of Photography

The training course at No. 2 School of Photography lasted 13 weeks. New intakes of 26 WAAFs arrived every fortnight. There were 45 officers and instructors working at the School.

Early recruits, like Knicky Chapman, would probably have had some level of photographic knowledge. For later groups, this is likely to have been scant at best. In her autobiography, Yvonne Peters (née Golton), who was in the 20th intake, mentions that her prior experience with photography was using her Box Brownie camera at home.

The women were trained in all aspects of photography, preparing them for any of the many roles required by the RAF.

A focus was the use of air cameras, particularly the F24, which was used regularly for aerial reconnaissance during the Second World War.

Lectures in classrooms were supplemented by hands-on training, learning to process and develop film, print and enlarge photographs, and work in mobile darkrooms used for photographic works at the front.

The women were also taught to interpret maps and plot aerial photographs to create mosaic images.

Gallery

Please click on the gallery images to enlarge.

Black and white photograph of a group of uniformed women sat on stools and being instructed by a man in uniform who points to a diagram of an aerial camera. The women sit with their backs to the camera. Behind the man and diagram is a partitioned area behind wire mesh. Black and white photograph of a man wearing Royal Air Force uniform and a woman repairing a bellows camera on a tripod. The man wears glasses and looks down as he uses a screw driver to adjust a screw on a bracket of the camera. In the background, beyond a patch of rough ground, are brick houses. Black and white photograph of three women in uniform using a compass-like instrument to measure distance on a map. Aerial photographs are laid on part of the map. Black and white photograph of two people wearing gas masks making adjustments to a bellows camera on a tripod. Black and white photograph of four women in uniform sitting and standing around a camera attached to a wooden frame Behind is a brick wall with instruction posters. Black and white photograph of a man in Royal Air Force uniform instructing a group of women sat on chairs outside a brick building. The man looks at a blackboard on an easel marked with a depiction of circuitry. Behind the man is a vehicle trailer.

Soon after the training of women had started, it was reported that the consumption of photographic materials had increased by 15%. It was believed to be because women "have better manual dexterity and were able to complete intricate manual tasks more quickly so produced more volume of work".

Advances in aerial reconnaissance led to a rapid expansion of military air photography. The intelligence it provided became vital to the progress of the war. The training courses had to keep up, and the women were under pressure to develop the necessary skills quickly.

Progress charts were displayed at the School, and weekly marks were handed out. Training culminated in examinations known as the Trade Test Board.

WAAF life in Blackpool

The WAAF trainees were billeted in local houses around the Palatine Road area, many of which were seaside holiday guest houses. They generally provided good accommodation, although one WAAF wrote in her autobiography about an incident of bed bugs that resulted in a group of WAAFs being reassigned billets to the fury of the landlady.

Each morning, physical exercise sessions were held, and breaks were given twice daily. The NAAFI wagon provided refreshments.

Each class at the School undertook a weekly fire guard duty, during which time they stayed in the administration block. Due to the good supply of hot and cold water, many made the most of this time by washing and drying their 'smalls'.

During their free time, the trainees played netball on the parade ground. Military transport arrived at the School twice weekly to take the WAAFs to Blackpool's Derby Baths for a swim. WAAF and RAF personnel were strictly segregated during training at the School. This continued with arrangements for swimming, as the women had been issued with bathing costumes while the men had not!

The camaraderie between the women comes through in the photographs. Many of the women formed friendships that endured beyond the length of the training course.

On completion of her training at No. 2 School of Photography, Knicky Chapman had obviously impressed as she was kept on as a member of staff and given the rank of Sergeant.

During her time at the School, she met her future husband, Sergeant Alfred B Chapman, an instructor on the course. Knicky would have gotten to know many of the women who trained in Blackpool during her time at the School. Several of them followed her to her next posting.

The RAF Film Production Unit

In 1941, a proposal was put forward to form a film production unit in the RAF. It would create a record of the RAF's activities for posterity and create propaganda material, particularly for use abroad. At this time, the United States had not yet entered the war.

It was also argued that using commercial companies to process RAF film footage prior to censoring presented a security risk, leading to administration delays.

In August 1941, applications were requested from RAF personnel with experience in film production. Pilot Officer Edward 'Teddy' Baird, later to become Commanding Officer of the RAF Film Production Unit (RAFFPU), was put in charge of processing the applications. Technical and administrative staff with previous experience were soon appointed and were supplemented by women from the WAAF.

The RAFFPU began operations from temporary accommodation at the Air Ministry in London. In February 1942, it moved to the world-famous Pinewood Studios about 18 miles west of London in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire.

Pinewood became the base for all 3 Government film units: the RAFFPU, the Crown Film Unit and the Army Film and Photographic Unit. Later, these were to be joined by the Polish Air Force Film Unit.

As the RAFFPU developed, it performed additional tasks, including filming secret research and development activities, training and welfare.

Detachments filmed overseas, creating newsreels and coverage of the campaign in North Africa, the Allied landings on Sicily, activities in the Far East and the invasion of North Europe from D-Day onwards.

By the war's end, over 300 men and women worked for the RAFFPU.

Knicky Chapman at Pinewood

Knicky Chapman appears to have been posted to the RAFCPU at Pinewood in 1943. Photographs in her collection show the studio buildings in camouflage and rows of military vehicles parked in the grounds. Images show the building of model aeroplanes to feature in film productions, as well as RAF and WAAF personnel at work.

Black and white photograph showing a row of military trucks and cars lined up in a row with their drivers standing to attention by their sides. In the background are a series of buildings with flat roofs and a water tower. Black and white photograph showing one- and two-storey brick buildings with flat roofs. The buildings have been camouflaged with different coloured paint. Black and white photograph showing two men making a model aircraft out of wood on a t-shaped table arrangement. Black and white photograph of a woman wearing a shirt and apron, leaning over a photograph she holds over a rectangular dish of liquid.

Knicky's role at Pinewood was to assist in producing propaganda films, such as 'The Big Pack' and 'Operational Height'. These were crucial for public morale, providing an insight into the RAF's activities and increasing support for the Allies internationally.

Gallery

Please click on the gallery images to enlarge.

Black and white photograph looking up to four men wearing caps, working on the propeller of a military aeroplane. Black and white photograph of a man and a woman in military uniform in an office. The man, in Royal Air Force uniform, sits at a desk and looks up towards a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force who stands with one finger resting on the corner of the desk. Behind the desk are shelves with box files and scrolls of paper. Black and white photograph looking across at four military fighter aircraft flying in formation just above a bank of clouds. Black and white photograph showing five men in uniform or overalls pulling down or holding ropes attached to a grounded barrage balloon.

Knicky was one of a select few to work in the Stills department, taking and processing photographs on the sets of the films made by the RAFFPU. In this role, she worked alongside Walter Bird, a well-known British photographer who served in the Crown Film Unit, and Johnny Jay, a British motion picture photographer who would go on to work on the films '2001: A Space Odyssey', 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' and 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'.

She was also joined by 3 WAAFs from No. 2 School of Photography: Lilian Lewis, Molly Plowman and Freda Pocock. They served alongside many notable figures from British cinema, including a young Richard Attenborough.

Gallery

Please click on the gallery images to enlarge.

Black and white photograph of a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force operating a bellows camera on a stand with multiple adjustment wheels. Black and white photograph of a group portrait featuring seven men and women in Royal Air Force and Women's Auxiliary Air Force uniforms. A woman and two men are seated on chairs in front of three women and one man who stand behind. The group appears to be in a field. Black and white photograph group portrait of four women in uniform, wearing shirts, ties and skirts. They look directly at the camera. Black and white photograph showing a scene being filmed in a studio. In the foreground is a camera and crew on a trolley. Beyond the camera are five men in uniform standing and sitting around a table. Studio lights illuminate the scene from the left. A microphone boom arm is suspended over the group. Black and white photograph of two men wearing uniforms looking at moving picture film on a machine. Written in pen at the bottom of the photograph are the names 'Cliff Boot' and 'Albert Caraco'. Black and white photograph of a man wearing a Royal Air Force cap holding an aerial camera and leaning out of an opening in the side of what is presumably an aeroplane. Black and white photograph of two men looking at a camera. The man on the left wears Royal Air Force uniform and is standing and holding the camera. The man on the right wears a flying jacket and sits next to a box and holds the lid open. On the wall behind the men is an information board. Black and white photograph taken from an elevated position, looking across at a man in uniform taking a photograph of a double line of paratroopers. Behind them is a row of military aircraft.

WAAF personnel worked round-the-clock on the time-critical processing of 'rushes', the raw, unedited footage direct from the front line. The first rushes of the D-Day landings reached Pinewood within 3 days. A family story states that Knicky overheard the date for the D-Day landings whilst in her room at Pinewood, as it was being discussed in a room below. This secret was so confidential that she revealed later that she was terrified lest she let it slip.

Social life at Pinewood

The photographs in the Knicky Chapman Collection also show the social side of life at Pinewood during the war. Knicky and her colleagues appeared in a dramatic production of 'George and Margaret', and there were other variety performances, a Sergeant's party and a Christmas party attended by children of the officers. There are glimpses of the friendships formed between the women, which continued after the war, and of the pride they took in their roles as WAAFs.

Black and white photograph of a woman in uniform pumping up a truck tyre with a foot pump whilst applying makeup. A caption written at the bottom of the photograph reads: '"Combined Ops"!! Peggy Harvey'. Black and white photograph of two women in uniform leaning on the front of a military vehicle parked on a concrete track outside a brick building. Black and white photograph showing three men and two women on a stage set designed to look like a domestic living room with comfy chairs and piano. All characters wear evening dress. Black and white photograph showing a group of children receiving Christmas presents from a man dressed as Father Christmas standing next to a Christmas tree. Black and white photograph of men and women dancing. Some wear military uniform. Black and white photograph of five women sat outside on a concrete path in a garden. The three women in the middle wear uniform. The two women at either end wear short-sleeve shirts and shorts or skirts and hold tennis rackets. Black and white photograph of a women in uniform posing for the camera and sat on a blanket or rug on a grass bank near the edge of a body of water. Black and white photograph of one man and four women in military coats and hats walking along a tree-lined road towards the camera.

After the war

Following the end of the war, the WAAF was demobilized and the majority of women left service by June 1946.

For many at Pinewood, unlike their male colleagues, this was to prove the end of their careers in film. Whilst many RAF personnel went on to work behind the camera in a variety of roles at studios in England and abroad, little is known of the subsequent lives of the women of the RAF Film Production Unit.

No. 2 School of Photography closed before the end of the war, but No. 1 School at Farnborough continued to train military photographers. In 2003, it became the Defence School of Photography, training personnel across the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

Knicky Chapman settled in Putney, London, and took a job at the Science Museum creating microfiche. She continued her passion for photography, accumulating a collection of several thousand slides documenting architecture across the country.

Sources

  • Anonymous. 'The School of Photography – The Story' (Accessed 24 March 2025)
  • Buckman, K. (1997). 'The Royal Air Force Film Production Unit, 1941-1945', in 'Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television', Volume 17, Issue 2
  • Escott, BE. (2003). 'The WAAF: A History of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in the Second World War'. Princes Risborough: Shire Publications Ltd
  • Humphrey, D. (2014). 'Legends and Heroes Behind the Lens: A Century of Military Photography'. Lulu Enterprises Inc
  • Owen, G with Burford, B. (2000). 'The Pinewood Story: The Authorised History of the World’s Most Famous Film Studio'. London: Reynolds and Hearn Ltd
  • Peters, Y. (2004). '"Have You Got Your Irons?" – It's a WAAF's Life'. Northwich: Greenridges Press

Archive Customer Services

  • Address

    The Engine House,
    Fire Fly Avenue,
    Swindon,
    SN2 2EH
    View on Map

Also of interest

Women Photographers in the Historic England Archive
USAAF Collection