That training later enabled her to start her own tailoring business as a qualified tailoress.

After World War 2 Marjorie married Arthur James Nightingale, son of Arthur Ambrose and Ellen Nightingale, of Bathurst and subsequently lived at Triangle Flat near Bathurst on his family property, where the couple had three children - Glenda, Lea and Marla.

To contribute to the war Marjorie joined the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) in order to fulfil her family's patriotic duty.

Marjorie decided to enlist as her brothers were in essential engineering industries, so they couldn't enlist for overseas service. She considered someone in her family should help the war effort.

Her father was not happy that his daughter could be sent to foreign shores and at first would not have a bar of her enlisting.

Marjorie was 19 and required her father sign the application form. He did eventually sign, the night before enlistments closed on 5th September, 1941.

She was trained as a signalman and was later sent to Queensland to Bribie Island, Caloundra and Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane.

Over a year later Marjorie took part the Sydney march which attracted widespread interest with more than 200,000 people lining the city streets, while 2500 women, in smart blue, grey, and khaki uniforms, marched like veteran soldiers to the music of half-a-dozen military bands.

For the first time the public was given an adequate picture of the large role played by Australian women in the daily activities of the fighting forces.

Every woman, by her enlistment in the Services, released a man for combatant duty, the men needed to fight the Japanese in the south west Pacific.

Newsreels of the march were sent to the United States to inform the American public on the way Australia has mobilised her population for war. Films were also be rushed to New Guinea and other advanced bases for exhibition in Allied military camps.

The 30 American Army nurses who led the march received an ovation. They were followed by 100 Australian Army nurses, 100 members of the Voluntary Aid Detachments, 1000 members of the Australian Women's Army Service and 1,200 members of the Women's Australian Auxiliary Air Force.

Some of the nurses and voluntary aids had only recently returned from overseas.

At the Sydney Town Hall the salute was taken by Lady Gowrie, who made her first appearance in the uniform of the Colonel-in-chief of the AWAS.

The Minister for the Army, Mr Forde, and the Minister for Air, Mr Drakeford, who watched the parade from the saluting dais, described it as "a wonderful inspiration to a 100 per cent war effort".

Major-General V. Marshall, Commander-General of Service Supply, US Army, said: "It was a grand show, something to write home about."

Major-General A. C. Fewtrell, general officer commanding NSW Lines of Communication, congratulated the women on their march discipline. "It was excellent," he said.

Other appreciative spectators of the march were numbers of soldiers and airmen on leave.

The discipline was impeccable. Now and then a girl would glance swiftly into the sea of faces on the footpath as she heard her name called by excited relatives, but there was no other sign of recognition.

Every woman in the march had enlisted for full-time defence duty. Many of the WAAFs had only come off night shift a few hours previously.

At the rear of the parade came ten ambulance cars manned by the AWAS Ambulance Car Company, together with women maintenance staff. These women drove repair trucks, including one with a damaged ambulance in tow, to demonstrate the versatile duties of the repair staffs.

The parade was led by Matron H. Croll, matron of the 113th Australian General Hospital.

Marjorie Swinnerton died in 2007.