Mavis Wheeler

Cipher, Signals Corps, Australian Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAAF)

“We women wanted to be seen as capable as men of doing many things.”

Mavis Wheeler is never far from a dictionary.

She’s a person who loves words, loves reading, and loves crosswords. So naturally her preference when called on to help stop the spread of fascism in World War II was to use her wits and be part of the electronic communications network that was so critical to Australia’s success in the Pacific.

Before enlisting Mavis had a very clear idea of the role she could play. When war broke out, she wanted to prepare herself so she studied Morse code at Fort Street High for over a year so it was second nature. She succeeded and by the time she presented herself to the recruitment office she was able to ‘type’ in Morse at 25 to 30 words per minute:

“Once I joined the Air Force, I was proficient in it. It was very exciting and I felt I was capable of contributing to war effort”

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