Reenacting Clothing for a Woman

[PoorFarm]

I just attended my first reenactment and my wife wants in on the act. Does anyone have any service branch suggestions for her and ideas regarding where she could go for period clothing?

[Steve B.]

If you are talking about WWII uniforms, try WWII Impressions or What Price Glory. There are probably others as well.

 

Perhaps someone in the reenactment club can point you in the right direction. It is best to check with them anyway since they may have particular ideas or standards about what is appropriate and what is most important to buy first.

[Sabrejet]

This German website is dedicated to female US re-enacting. ( If the link below isn't "hot" just google it!)

 

http://www.blitzkriegbaby.de/link.htm

[mjerickson]

What country? what branch? what time period???? All I have to say is make sure your unit is on the same page with wifes and girl friends being in the mix. More often than not the reenacting things is a guys weekend oppertunity like deer hunting. DO NOT get me wrong it can been an great family hobby if you are both in to it cool and you are in the right group of individuals. need some follow up help shoot me a PM or E mail [email protected].

[DesertRatTom]

Congratulations you just cleared the first major reenactor's obsticle- getting the wife to go along with your new hobby!

 

Generally, the single best approach is to have her 'sit out' for a year while attending your groups meeting and reenactments. This will help her get a better idea how to fit in with various activities, or start a civilian counterpart or adjunct componet. It will also save you both a bundle in mistakes that could have been avoided.

 

As far as period clothing, &c., have her ask some of the other guys wives, there is usually a real 'keeper of knowledge' or crone, and not just a wannabe that can help out, but beware of group politics, as they can be subtle and will run off newbies.

 

Take this for what its worth, I've been a ACW reenactor for beter than 30 years. There are always changes and new discoveries being made, as a reenactor you have a duty to portray the era correctly.

 

Good luck & enjoy the ride!

 

Tom

[uplandmod]

We have in few female reenactment groups with the CHG in so cal. Usually they have their own groups such as the field hospital and German nurses. Keep in mind these ladies put a ton of effort into their impressions and gear and are very cautioned that their groups don't become a place where the girls go when the guys are out on the field.

 

I suggest that you two find a good group that had units that she can get to know. Every group had their own vibe and style and isn't for everyone.

 

For public events she could go under many WWII impressions, find out which one draws her in, from there you can figure out what uniforms to look for.

 

Good luck!

Leonardo

[PoorFarm]

Thanks for tips. We're interested in the WWII era. She's a woman of color and black women weren't generally allowed into any of the armed services

auxiliary units until late war, the patches are likely to be harder to aquire than the uniform. But one thing at a time I suppose. I'll post a picture when she gets her outfit together.

[uplandmod]

Very cool! Good luck!

 

Leonardo

[DesertRatTom]

A couple of things to consider- Red Cross, either a 'Donut Dolly', aide or even a nurse. The RC trained nurses in their own schools that wound up overseas, and by charter were nationality and color blind. Another possibility might be a USO volunteer in pretty much most any capacity..

[memphis_belle]

Well, I think it depends on what is your living history group's unit. For example I belong to the society which does the 1st Infantry Division so I decided to portray an Army Nurse from the 48th Surgical / 128th Evacuation Hospital because routes of these two units agree with each other. Both sailed out together from the US to North Africa -> Italy -> England -> France -> Belgium ->Germany. It's important that she fits into the realities that you present.

 

I think there are two options: either pick up an impression of a home front worker / civilian but only if your event theme is settled in the US or UK, or choose a military branch as there also were African-American women in service (Army Nurse Corps; Women's Army Corps, WAVES, NNC).

 

The first African American women to sail overseas in the war were ANC nurses who went to Liberia. Later they went to other parts of Africa, Burma (where they nursed Chinese troops) and the South Pacific (which suggests that a very different version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, featuring white nurse Nellie Forbush, could have been written.) In June 1944 a unit of 63 black ANC nurses came to the 168th Station Hospital in Warrington, Cheshire. Their role was specifically to nurse German POWs – the least desirable patients.

 

The largest group of African-American women who sailed to war were part of the army. 855 women were the only black WACs to serve overseas. They were postal workers in the elite 6888^th Postal Battalion. They initially came to Birmingham circa January 1945. Later they crossed the Channel to work in Rouen, and later Paris.

Source: http://womenshistory...-army-corps-wac

 

I attach some pictures:

 

 

 

WAC impression : African American women have long been a visible and important part of the American defense team. Here, Maj. Charity E. Adams and Capt. Abbie N. Campbell inspect the first contingent of black members of the Women's Army Corps assigned to overseas service in WWII. Source: National Archives, 111-SC-20079.

 

 

Home Front worker impression: Women in the American work force: Bertha Stallworth, age 21, inspects 40mm artillery cartridges at Frankford Arsenal during WWII. Source: National Archives, 208-NP-1WW-1.

 

 

ANC impression: This group of US Army Nurses, arrive in Greenock, Scotland, in European Theater of Operations. Ausust 15, 1945.

 

 

WAC: The first Negro WACs to arrive [on] the continent of Europe were 800 girls of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Bn, who had also been the first to arrive in England. After the battalion had set up its facilities at Rouen, France, it held an `open house’, which was attended by hundreds of Negro soldiers. Pvt. Ruth L. James,…of the battalion area is on duty at the gate.” May 26, 1945.Pfc. Stedman. 111-SC-23707.

 

 

WACs in Europe.

 

 

WAVES: Lt.(jg.) Harriet Ida Pickens and Ens. Frances Wills, the first African-American Waves to be commissioned. December 21, 1944

 

 

Navy Nurse Corps: Cmdr. Thomas A. Gaylord, USN (Ret’d), administers oath to five new Navy nurses commissioned in New York…” Phyllis Mae Dailey, the Navy’s first African-American nurse, is second from the right. March 8, 1945. 80-G-4836.

 

As you can see - there are plenty of possibilities! If your wife would decide on doing a military impression there are online shops offering uniform reproductions:

 

eBay.com - the best source to get original stuff - both civilian and uniforms

WWII impressions

What Price Glory

6thjune1944.com - good quality insignia and patches

EMC Militaria

wwiidogtags.com

[uplandmod]

Incredible pictures!

 

LF

[willysmb44]

People will try to suggest a war correspondent impression. While there WERE 'black press' correspondents that got into the ETO, I don't know of any 'women of color' who got into any active theater (lots of white women, did, though).

For authtenticity sake, I'd steer her clear of that impression as there's very little (if any) historical support to it.