The show commemorated the work of the Wrens in Western Approaches Command.

The primary aim of Western Approaches Command was ‘the safe and timely arrival of the convoys’ and it worked tirelessly against the threat from German U-boats, aircraft and surface warships as well as the harsh sea and weather conditions of the North Atlantic, to achieve that.

Throughout its time in Liverpool, Western Approaches Command was staffed largely by the women of the Women’s Royal Naval Service, affectionately known as Wrens, and the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, or Waafs. These women were often no more than girls, between the ages of 18 and 21, who had either volunteered to help the war effort and ‘do their bit’ or had been specifically recruited because of their mathematical or analytical abilities. Their jobs included plotting in the main Operations Room, decoding incoming signals, acting as radio and teleprinter operators and even training naval officers in anti-submarine warfare.

The Western Approaches Tactical Unit (WATU) was created in January 1942 to develop and disseminate new tactics to counter German submarine attacks on trans-Atlantic convoys. It was led by Captain Gilbert Roberts and was principally staffed by officers and ratings from the Women’s Royal Naval Service (Wrens). Their primary tool for studying U-boat attacks and developing countermeasures was wargames. After the U-boat threat to merchant shipping was defeated, WATU continued to develop anti-submarine tactics for later stages of the war, including Operation Overlord and the Pacific War. WATU trained naval officers in its tactics by hosting week-long training courses in which the students played wargames. WATU formally ceased operations at the end of July 1945.

At the heart of the headquarters was the two storey Operations Room, dominated by a large wall map showing positions of ships, aircraft and U-boats across the vast expanse of the North Atlantic. It was here that every movement was plotted, decisions made and orders prepared to defend the convoys and attack the U-boats. This has been reproduced as the set of the show. Dr Merkin felt that while many of the male naval officers had written about their own roles, almost nothing was known about the vital contribution the women who worked there, and this attempts to redress the balance.

Click below to watch the videos. The one of the show itself is a filmed version of the show (minus the beginning) which isn’t edited and is a single camera take so not great quality but some kind of a record anyway.