British Army first for ‘Princess Auto Mechanic’

To her superiors she was inductee No. 230873, but to the British press she was dubbed ‘Princess Auto Mechanic’.

The young Princess Elizabeth learns basic car maintenance as a second subaltern in the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service in April 1945. Picture: Daily Mirror / Getty Images

It seemed the most unlikely role for a future queen, but after months of resistance and persuasion the teenage princess got her way: with the king’s permission she would join the women’s auxiliary service under the name Elizabeth Windsor.

It was February 1945, less than four months from Victory in ­Europe Day, and the princess, 18, was determined to play her part in the war before it was all over.

She had already witnessed the Luftwaffe’s deadly bombing campaign of Britain’s major cities, and saw first-hand the damage wrought at Buckingham Palace after a bombardment in September 1940 killed several workmen and destroyed the Royal Chapel.

At the time unmarried women under 30 were conscripted into Britain’s armed forces or worked in industry. After months of pleading, her parents, King ­George VI and Queen Elizabeth, relented, allowing the heir to the throne to begin duties as a second subaltern in the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service.

The young Princess Elizabeth learns basic car maintenance as a second subaltern in the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service in April 1945. Picture: AP

As Soviet and Allied forces began their push towards Berlin, the young princess presented at an Aldershot military facility for a six-week intensive training course where she passed a military driving test, learned to read maps and worked repairing ­engines. To her superiors she was inductee No.230873, but to the British press she was dubbed “Princess Auto Mechanic”.

Until then no other female member of the royal family had ever joined the military.

Alongside the king’s decision to remain in London during the worst of the blitz, Elizabeth’s role in the ATS was celebrated as a symbol of the country’s resistance. Footage of the princess in overalls was circulated widely and used as a booster for war morale as war in the European theatre was drawing to a close.

The young royal developed a love of driving that she retained late into her life. She wore her green khaki uniform proudly; on VE Day she famously joined the thronging crowds outside Buckingham Palace dressed in her regimentals alongside her 14-year-old sister Princess Margaret.

On the 50th anniversary of VE Day, the Queen remembered it as one of the most thrilling memories of her life.

“All of us were swept along by tides of happiness and relief … I think it was one of the most memorable nights of my life,” she said.