Local historian Robyn Florance is working on a book, which will hopefully be published in coming months, on Shoalhaven Women in the War 1939-1945.

The book covers the efforts and service of locals in the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS), Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS), Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF), the Land Army, the nursing service (Australian Army Medical Women's Service AAMWS, later incorporated into the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps) and those in industry.

"For many years I've been interested in the women who enlisted during the Second World War," Mrs Florance said

"We had a number of women who joined up and served in a variety of services and we also had a number of women who stayed on the homefront and did their bit, often undertaking roles normally carried out by male employees.

"Of course, there were others as well who did unpaid voluntary work for organisations like the Red Cross, Australian Comforts Fund or Country Women's Association."

More than 100 women from the Shoalhaven signed up for military service, and Mrs Florance has profiled 123 local women in the book.

"These are their stories."

Patricia Walsh (service number 92623) was the first Nowra girl to join the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF).

Pat was born at Nowra on April 21, 1919, the daughter of Ernest 'Ben' Walsh and Kathleen "Kitty Madden.

Her childhood days were spent in Junction Street Nowra and she attended St Michael's in North Street Nowra.

"I was the first Nowra girl to join the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force when I enlisted on October 27, 1941. Along with 200 other girls I completed my 'rookie' training at Bankstown and then we were posted to various other RAAF units. I was posted to the RAAF Records in Melbourne and then on to the navy office, which was the centre of naval iIntelligence. At this time senior British officers were in Melbourne to discuss the European theatre of war.

"One of my first jobs was to collect intelligence on the disappearance of HMAS Sydney. I was the only secretary and there was a chronic shortage of all sorts of materials including carbon paper which was the only way, in those days, to make copies of typewriting.

"To speed up the clerical work I had very senior officers, including Sir Charles Burnett from the RAF and Sir Guy Royal from the RN preparing papers with carbon between the sheets.

"After Japan's treacherous attack on Pearl Harbour the small naval unit became the Combined Operational Intelligence Centre for the South West Pacific area. It was the nerve centre of the Pacific War and I worked in it for 31/2 years under the command of General Macarthur. The number of girls rose to 20 and security was very tight."

Patricia Walsh was discharged for duty on January 16, 1946 and had attained the rank of Flight Sergeant.

She married Richard Cruickshanks in 1947 and they had two daughters, Kathleen 'Dutsy' and Erica 'Ricky'. When Richard was killed in an aircraft accident in 1950 Pat went to work as a legal secretary for Morton and Harris.

She married Leslie Goodman and, when he died at an advanced age in 1993, she married Frederick Inglis.

Pat Inglis died in 2003.