The couple had five daughters, the eldest of whom was pirate radio pioneer Britt Wadner.

In the summer of 1924, Tyra Wadner travelled to Finland with her husband, then chief instructor at the Stockholm Landstorm Association, to study the country's Civil Guard, known as the White Guard (Finnish: Suojeluskunta, Swedish: Skyddskår).

During this visit, Wadner came into contact with the Finnish Lotta Svärd, a voluntary auxiliary paramilitary organisation for women, formed in 1918 during the Finnish Civil War to support the White Guard.

Led by Helmi Arneberg-Pentti then Fanni Luukkonen,[3] it had a large membership undertaking volunteer social work in the 1920s and 1930s, and auxiliary support to the military during the Second World War period, particularly the Continuation War.

[2] Wadner remained a leading figure[6] in the Lotta movement until her resignation in 1942 when the Landstorm was abolished.