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WWII ARC Military Welfare Service Uniform and Certificate


McDermut99
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McDermut99

I bought this WWII American Red Cross uniform and certificate as part of a father-wife-son grouping. It belonged to a Mrs. Gloria Garre whose husband was an officer in the U.S. Army during WWII. What exactly she did while serving I have no idea. The uniform was made by Smith-Gray, and is in excellent condition except for one moth bite on the right cuff. Unfortunately the service cap and shoes were lost a long time ago.

 

As for the certificate I can't seem to find any others like it but I assume it is WWII-era. The stars are the recent sticker type which I am working on removing.

 

Is there any way I could find out what Mrs. Garre did while in the Military Welfare Service? What is the significance of the collar tabs? How common is a grouping such as this?

 

Any and all comments are greatly appreciated!

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post-153059-0-20071600-1495672909.jpg

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Brian Keith

Nice uniform! I wouldn't remove the stars unless you are 100% sure the woman didn't put them there. The document is dated 1958, so likely given to her when she "retired" from the USO. Stickers like that have been around a long time.

BKW

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McDermut99

Nice uniform! I wouldn't remove the stars unless you are 100% sure the woman didn't put them there. The document is dated 1958, so likely given to her when she "retired" from the USO. Stickers like that have been around a long time.

BKW

 

Good idea. Good thing I didn't start removing them yet.

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JoAnntheGreat

Yes, I agree with the writer above. The following is just my opinion. It is an American Red Cross Uniform WW2 era. It was made by a tailoring firm, maybe bespoke though it has a union tag. It was probably tailored to fit. Many uniforms at this time were sold by the JC Penney company. They were made of "Palm Beach" fabric which was a wool rayon blend. You can tell the Palm Beach uniforms because they mostly show discoloration due to the rayon fiber content. This uniform looks to be made of all wool as the coloration is fast and has lasted. They cheaper uniforms also did not have a lining in the tunic/jacket, just facings. I think it was made at the end or after the war. At this point the pocket bags were omitted as a savings in fabric. It is also unusual as the skirt has a zipper. Most had a button closing. It hardly looks worn. The collar flashes (I hope I am using the term correctly) shows that the wearer was affiliated with the Canteen Corps. I would say the USO certificate is interesting but the USO and ARC were different organizations, though there was lots of overlap. The ARC was very active in supporting the Military. There are quite a few books written, in the form of letters home, about these women's experiences. You can also go to youtube and look at the wartime movie news reels for info about the ARC in WW2. Here is information about ARC uniforms, including the meaning of the colors of the flashes.

www.collectorarc.com/Uniform Guide.pdf

I am also guessing this is a winter uniform due to it's darker color and twill fabric. There were three hats. One was a dress hat that is now very rare to find. The others were a visor hat and a garrison cap.

You have a very nice uniform. Thank you for posting such great photos of it.

I see you also asked how common is it? Not common. Just the jackets go for upwards of $300 and with the skirt even more. The condition is remarkable. If you can figure out if the lady served during WW2 it would make it even more valuable. If you had the hat maybe twice that much? I am just guessing. Looking at eBay where several of these jackets are currently for sale would give you a better idea.

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JoAnntheGreat

Sorry, not to flog this to death! but I just read the uniform quidelines and the doohickies on the lapels are called tabs, not flashes. :)

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