Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Saturday 19 July 1941, page 33


She's a Major-General ...

At 33, Jean Knox

is Controller of the Territorials

From MARY ST. CLAIRE, I

Our special representative. I

(By Beam wireless).

RETIRED. - Dame Helen j

Gwynne-Vaughan, who retires j from the post of controller of \

the A.T.S.

I

England's youngest "General" has just been gazetted.

Ar thirty-three Jean Knox, wife

of a squadron-leader in the Middle j East and mother of a twelve-yearold daughter, Julie, has been appointed head of England's largest women's service.

SHE is director of the

Auxiliary Territorial Ser-vice with the rank of Chief Controller (Major-General).

Blue-eyed, youthful looking, with sleek brown hair, Mrs. Knox is 30 years younger than Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, whom she suc-

ceeds.

But "General" Jean brings more than youthful enthusiasm to her job. England's Number One woman soldier is brimful of ideas.

Nearly six months ago, when I first met Jean Knox, she was "ideas" woman for the A.T.S.

During those months she toured every A.T.S. establishment in Britain, keeping closely in touch with the girls in khaki and scarcely a week has passed since without im-provements.

Sweetheart leave

"OWEETHEART leave" is one of

many new improvements she has sponsored.

This enables an A.T.S. girl's leave to coincide with that of her sweet-heart.

She began a general smartening up of uniforms. Permission has been given to wear regimental badges and distinguishing flashes on colored forage caps, instead of their former puffy peaked cap. Smart battledress like that issued to men, for girls with the ack-ack guns, and issue of tennis shorts and sports equip-

ment are other dress reforms which i have been largely due to her recom-mendations.

A model of smartness and ef-ficiency, Controller Knox's appoint-ment has stimulated recruiting, and already throughout the service there is a briskness that reflects her per-

sonality.

This youthful director was more or less "ordered" into service, she confessed, by her husband.

"I thought I would like to join the A.T.S., but wouldn't be any good," she said. "When I told my husband he said 'Nonsense, you're just the sort they want.'

"So with much hesitancy I joined and had been a member nearly a year when war broke out. Then I gave up housekeeping to become a company commander."

Now, after' two and a half years' service, she is four ranks higher than her husband.

Mrs. Knox's promotion has been by far the quickest in the history of the service. Dame Helen's re

YOUNG transport driver on supply convoy in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. Her new controller, Mrs. Jean Knox, her-

self is only 33.

tirement becomes necessary because of the age limit, whereby Chief Controllers must not be over 57.

One of the objects of the intro-duction of a retiring age is to clear the way for young officers who have enli^tpd .since the war and have therefore served in the ranks. Dame

APPOINTED. - Mrs. Jean

Knox, leader of the Auxiliary Territorial Service in England, carries the rank of Major-General.

Helen had a distinguished career in the last war, and since she was placed in charge of the A.T.S. has had to face many criticisms.

Last year a select committee brought charges of bad feeding, in-sufficient medical care, waste of ability and wrong system of pro-motion. Dame Helen stoutly de-fended titled women, of whom it was alleged too many held high rank.

They would "give the service a standing in the Counties" she main-tained.

Appointment of a thirty-threeyear-old woman marks the begin-ning of the move for young, "goahead" officers.

Though the Auxiliary Transport Service is given army status, they are anxious there will be no brass hats, and Director Knox's appoint-ment seems to point this way.

Many times . I've watched this youthful controller in the com-pany of senior officers, and always she was outstanding.

She has a perfect profile, nicelyshaped head, brown wavy hair up-swept at the sides and front and cut short at the back, and blue-green eyes that are attractively almondshaped. They narrow slitwise as she concentrates or stresses some point, and widen into a cheerful smile as she looks up. With a good figure. Jean Knox always wears the finest lisle stockings, and has wellmanicured nails lacquered pale pink