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WWII Mystery Uniform: Men's or converted to Woman's?


gwb123
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I have been looking at this and doing some research. My gut feeling tells me this belonged to a female correspondent. Not because I can prove it was a correspondent’s uniform but more because I have found proof that I believe shows it was not for a woman in the Army or Air Force.

 

I do not believe this would have been for a nurse. In 1940, the ANC had a blue uniform. The olive-drab uniform came out in 1943 and did not have a belt.

 

The WAAC uniform was not modeled after the men’s uniform. Rather than shoulder straps, the uniforms had a passant with rank insignia. The uniforms had plastic WAAC buttons rather than the standard gold military buttons. The belt was removed from the uniform in late 1942 because it was “noted that some WAACS pulled the belt too tight, ruining the line of the blouse.”

 

Once the WAAC was no longer an auxiliary unit, the uniform was modeled after the men’s uniform but as was previously noted, there was no belt and the pockets were different.

 

I do not believe this would have been a transition uniform between the Air WACS and the WAF. Along with the reasons above, I have found documentation that the Air WACS wore a jacket similar to the Ike style jacket not this type of jacket.

 

...Kat

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Very nice write up. Thank you.

 

I am leaving this as more generic than being a correspondent uniform. I suspect there other civilians associated with the military who may have also worn such a uniform. And has been pointed out, it may have been worn in the immediate post war period as well.

 

It turns out that Offutt Field was a relocation center right after the war, and I am sure they had a number of civilian women working for them in semi-official capacities.

 

I have searched it from one end to the other looking for anything that would allow us to identify the owner, but there is nothing. Unless we can narrow this down to someone who wore a size 16L, we will never know.

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Gil,

 

I agree that it could have been someone besides a correspondent. However, I have also looked thru documentation for female civilian uniforms. The only thing I have found close to this is a correspondent. I will keep looking but so far by process of elimination, it only points to a correspondent.

 

...Kat

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Do any of you have pictures of civilian women wearing a uniform such as this? Just wondering what made you change from thinking it was a correspondent's uniform to now thinking it is not one.

 

I haven't been able to find any pictures but like I said, I will keep looking.....

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Oh, believe me, I would be more than happy if we could definitively say this was a correspondent's uniform.

 

I guess part of my thinking is I know that as the war wound down there were numerous civilians deployed overseas for Occupational Government duties. From the photos that I recall (of men) they had a whole variety of uniforms similar in cut to standard military issue.

 

I will agree the only photos I have come across so far of women wearing this uniform have been of female correspondents. But that might be because their photos are more readily found. I'll have to think if there is a way to broaden the search.

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