Women and World War II

Rosalie Abney recounts her experiences working on airplanes at Curtiss-Wright, including the training she received at Ahrens Trade School. She discusses working conditions, women’s expectations with regard to the closing of the plant at the end of the war, and her perception of the influence these experiences had on women working outside home after the war.

Everylee Ashby discusses her employment, primarily with High Rock Bottling, DuPont and Reynolds, during the war. Ms. Ashby was one of the first two black women hired at the DuPont plant; she also describes an integrated workplace at Reynolds. She also describes her life after her husband returned from the war, and attitudes toward work during the war.

Virginia Bale shared her experiences as a working woman during World War II. Born in Larue County, Bales moved to Louisville in 1942, at the height of the war. She initially worked at Stewart's before securing a job at Curtiss-Wright, a defense company, through a connection. Bales worked in the maintenance department, checking tools in and out. She noted that while there were many women working in the plant, there were more men. After the war, she attended beauty school and worked as a manicurist for many years. Bales believes that the war gave women the idea that they could work and hold a job, leading to an increase in working women today.

Born in 1931, Mary Jane grew up in Madison, Indiana, moving between there and Corydon due to her father's job as a manager of various grocery stores. She recalls her childhood as innocent and normal, despite the war. Her family listened to the radio for news about the war and her father predicted the U.S. would join the war. When the U.S. did enter the war, Mary Jane's five male cousins and her brother-in-law enlisted. Her father also took a job at the Charleston powder plant, which manufactured ammunition powder. Mary Jane recalls the community of Madison becoming closer during the war and the town being considered a typical American town. She also mentions her uncle's involvement in the Manhattan Project, which he believed was for peaceful purposes until the atomic bomb was dropped.

Rosemary Block speaks about her experiences during World War II. Block was a child living in Louisville, Kentucky when the war began. She discusses her family's life during the war, including the drafting of her two older brothers and the death of her father in 1945. Block also talks about the impact of the war on her community, including rationing, collecting materials for the war effort, and changes in her neighborhood. She also reflects on the war's impact on race relations in her community.

Brennan grew up in Jefferson County and lived in various parts of Louisville throughout her life. She attended Holy Cross School from first to fourth grade and then St. Benedict's from fifth to eighth grade. She later attended Loretta High School. Marian had two older brothers, Louis Bertran Brennan Jr. and Charles Matthew Brennan, who both served in World War II. Her parents were both born and raised in Louisville, and her mother worked as a sewing machine operator during the war. Marian recalls her family's experiences during the war, including air raid drills, ration books, and her brothers' military service. She also discusses her family's religious practices as Catholics and their political views as Democrats.

Ethel Koch worked at Curtiss-Wright during World War II. Born in Grayson County, she moved to Louisville at nineteen to find work. She initially worked at Axton-Fisher and then at a defense plant bag factory in Indiana. After a tornado killed her father and brother, she returned home to help her family before moving back to Louisville to work at Curtiss-Wright. She worked as a drill press operator, in tubing, and as a clerk in a time study. After the war, the plant closed and she worked at the American Tobacco Company, where she met her husband. They had two children and she chose not to return to work. She believes the number of women working during World War II influenced women working today.

Margaret Hayden tells of her work as an inspector and a riveter at Curtiss-Wright. She discusses her work, the social conditions, and the influence of women’s work during the war on women’s subsequent participation in the labor force.

Nancy Jones shares her experiences growing up on a farm in Madison, Indiana, during World War II. She discusses the impact of the war on her family and community, including the rationing of goods, the absence of her brothers who were drafted, and the changes in her town due to the war effort. Jones also talks about her school experiences, her family's involvement in the church, and the impact of the war on her childhood.

Rosemary Jones discusses her experiences working during World War II. She worked in a warehouse that supplied spare parts for the B17 and B29 aircrafts. Jones mentions the difficulties of working in a building with no heat and the importance of her job in supporting the war effort. She recalls the lack of resentment from male colleagues, the strict security measures, and the high volume of work. After the war, Jones stopped working and later helped run a small hotel with her husband. Jones believes that women working during the war led to greater independence for women, as they had their own money.

Eunice Kell describes the difficulty of nursing patients, particularly those with tuberculosis, as a member of the Army Nurse Corps during the war. She recalls the nurses' entertainment, social lives and going on a suicide watch. Webb worked with German and Italian prisoners of war held in the United States. She describes these men, who were members of the Africa Corps under German General Erwin Rommel.

Fannie Lane talks about working before and during the war. She describes working in a bag plant in Charlestown, Indiana that was initially segregated, but which intermixed the workforce over time. (She worked making bags for gunpowder.) She discusses opportunities for work after the war, as well as motivation for working during the war.

McCauley discusses her family life during World War II. She was primarily raised by her grandparents, as her mother worked and was often out of town. Her mother later worked on the construction of the Jefferson Proving Ground and other war-related projects. She recalls rationing during the war, but doesn't remember being deprived of anything. She also mentions attending the movies regularly and seeing war news reels before the films. After the war, her family's life returned to normal, with her uncle returning home and resuming his job at a meat packing company.

Irene Poston worked in the Carbide Carbon plant as a chemical operator during the war; she also worked for Brown-Forman. She talks about motivations for working during the war, and the influence these experiences had on women in general after the war.

Nova Rhodes worked at Beatty-Cummins making shells, and then at Curtiss-Wright. Discusses employment conditions, union participation, and attitudes toward work during and after the war.

Ann Turner Ferris St. Clair grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and Washington County. She lived in small apartments in the city and moved to the country whenever her father was laid off from his job. During the war, her brother was drafted into the Marines and her mother worked at a bag plant in Indiana. Ann recalls the rationing of food and the changes in her brother after he returned from the war. She also remembers the celebrations when the war ended.

Carolyn Toll worked as a helper general mechanic and junior aircraft woodworker at Bowman Field. She discusses men’s attitudes toward women at Bowman during the war. She also recounts her experiences working in the armed forces as a civilian employee following the war.