New Uniforms, Part 1

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In October, 1943, the WAVES debuted new Mainbocher-designed uniforms, to be used in summer and at warm weather locales.

Above, WAVE officer Mary C. Broughton (left) and yeoman Marion Pearson (right) model the new seersucker uniforms.

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Broughton posed solo as well (left). The only difference between her officer uniform and that of the enlisted women is the officer’s hat, the band on the sleeve of the jacket, and the bar on the collar of her dress.

On yeoman Pearson’s uniform (below), her hat has a removable cover that matches the seesucker of the dress.

Thanks for Coming to the Screening!

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Greetings from the San Pedro International Film Festival. It was a great weekend, and we’d like to thank everyone who came to the screening of Homefront Heroines: The WAVES of World War II. The festival was held in four different theaters – the big one, pictured here, is the Warner Grand. We were in the San Pedro Theater Club, which was much more intimate (but doesn’t have the great signage).

WAVE Josette Dermody Wingo was also at the screening and got cheered by the audience.

Thanks again for the support – and back to WAVES photos tomorrow!

Sneak Peek 2


 

In preparation for today’s screening at the San Pedro International Film Festival, we’re giving you a sneak peak of the film Homefront Heroines: The WAVES of World War II. In this clip, WAVE Helen Edgar Gilberts talks about the resentment some men had toward the WAVES. Gilbert lives in San Pedro and is scheduled to join us at the festival.

We hope to see you later today (12:30 p.m.)

Sneak Peek 1


In preparation for Sunday’s screening at the San Pedro International Film Festival, we’re giving you a sneak peak of the film Homefront Heroines: The WAVES of World War II. In this clip, WAVE Susan Ahn Cuddy talks about her experiences joining the WAVES. We’re hoping Ahn will be able to join us at the film festival too!

We hope to see you tomorrow, October 6th at 1230pm.

Come See us in San Pedro!

We’re getting prepared for our latest film festival screening, so the next few blog posts will a brief break from historical photos of the WAVES. We’ll be at the San Pedro International Film Festival on Sunday, October 16th at 12:30pm. We hope to see you there.

 

In the meantime, here’s a trailer for the Homefront Heroines: The WAVES of World War II.

Air Traffic Control

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This image looks really similar to the one we featured yesterday, from the cover of the WAVES Newsletter. But in this image from October of 1943, the two WAVES are studying the technique of air traffic control at the Air Traffic Control Tower Operators School, NAS Atlanta, Georgia.

The women’s course of study was six weeks long beyond boot camp. When they completed, they received a rate at 3/c petty officer and were assigned to air traffic control towers across the country.

The photo comes from the National Archives.