American Toby Jug Museum 

Women's Auxiliary Air Force character jug designed by Caroline Dadd and modeled by Zoe (Valerie) Annand, produced by Royal Doulton of Burslem, England, in a 2004 limited edition of 250. The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was created by the British military in June of 1939. The women were allowed to do everything a man could do, except for flying and combat duties. Roles included catering, transport, telegraphy, codes and ciphers, intelligence and security. However, their main duty concerned the deployment of barrage balloons, balloons used as a defense against unfriendly aircraft. With an initial force of 8,800, the WAAF faced many doubts about the usefulness of women on the battlefield. By the end of the war they had convinced even the most diehard critics. By 1943 about 180,000 women had signed up. The WAAF was reformed into the Women’s Royal Air Force in 1949 and was fully integrated into the Royal Air Force in 1994. The most distinctive feature of the WAAF’s service dress was the black peaked cap worn with a black patent-leather chinstrap. The brass-winged albatross badge was worn on a band of black, open weave fabric. The handle of this jug incorporates two distinctive elements of the WAAF uniform, the handbag, or pack, and the albatross badge.