Fundraising was conducted by the Memorial to Women of WWII charitable trust, the patron of which was the Speaker of the House of Commons Baroness Boothroyd.

Journalist Peri Langdale followed the campaign for eight years, making two programmes for ITV Tyne Tees about the project.

The idea for a memorial was raised with retired Major David McNally Robertson in 1997, who was informed that, while many countries had a national monument to the work that women undertook during World War Two, the UK did not.

[3] They founded a fundraising trust together with Bill Moralee and Peri Langdale, journalist and ITV documentary producer.

Speaker of the House of Commons Baroness Boothroyd, Dame Vera Lynn and the Princess Royal joining.

[2] The memorial was unveiled on 9 July 2005, two days after the 7/7 London bombings, by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

[8] A flypast of five military helicopters took place, an Apache, Sea King, Lynx, Chinook and Merlin, which were flown by all-female crews.