Thomas Hennell, WRNS Censoring Ships' Mail Portsmouth, 1944, watercolour drawing on paper

Four women of the WRNS at work in an office censoring post. Three of the women work at desks, with the fourth
standing at the back of the room beside a large wooden bow or stern decoration from an old Royal Navy ship incorporating a unicorn. The
decoration appears to be being used as a temporary coat rack, with two naval tunics dangling from it. Through the window can be seen HMS
Victory moored at Portsmouth's historic dockyard.

During the build up to D-Day, women from the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), who were often known as ‘Wrens’, worked at SHAEF and other important command centres. They also repaired landing craft, worked as boat crews, cooks, and switchboard operators. Some were employed as clerks, mail officers, or censors. Between 25 May and 5 June 1944, Wrens censored around 400,000 letters.