The series begins in January 1942. With the Second World War now in its third year, Britain is still very much on the defensive. Although the RAF held firm during the Spitfire Summer, the war is far from won. Germany continues to expand its territory and alliances across Europe, and fears of invasion, though diminished, have not entirely disappeared.
At home, civilians struggle to maintain a sense of normality amid nightly bombing raids and sleepless nights. U-boats prowl the Atlantic, sinking merchant ships and causing vital supply shortages. Food rations are cut once more, while racketeering, the black market, and crime are on the rise.
With the armed forces desperate for more men at the front, the government seeks ways to reassign roles traditionally held by men. Following the successful deployment of women in factories and on the railways, attention turns to other roles they could take on. RAF Balloon Command is now calling for more women to join the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) as it expands its operations.
In The East End Girls, we meet four such WAAFs: Effie Weston, Alice Starling, Nell Reilly, and Georgina St John-Smythe—better known as George.
Despite their vastly different backgrounds, the women soon become close friends. Stationed in the heart of East London, they roll up their sleeves and throw themselves into the war effort—facing danger, heartache, and hope together as The East End Girls.