Remembering World War II Women
Earlier this year, Linda Minton gave a fascinating presentation at her book signing about the important role women played during World War II. Before the war, women stayed home and took care of their families and homes, but between 1941 and 1945, they proved they could fill many jobs outside the home. Several women at PVE, one now deceased, did what was the beginning of women in the work place.
We have women who served in the armed forces — as nurses in both the Army and Navy, and women who served as WACS or WAVES. There are women who worked for companies that built weapons and other necessities for a nation at war. We have women who served with the Red Cross and other agencies. We have women who kept their families going on the home front — learning how to deal with the rationing of things like sugar and coffee; saving aluminum foil; saving bacon fat, etc. They also found time to write letters, sometimes daily, to their men on the front. And of course, they were also keeping the home fires burning, having babies and raising children. It was a time when we pulled together as a nation and supported our government, and everyone was patriotic.
Linda Minton wrote a book, “WW II Heroes: We Were Just Doing Our Job,” which featured male veterans. After it was published, her daughter said, “You need to write a book about women in WW II.” As she talked to female veterans, it became evident they did indeed contribute to helping on the home front. The troops couldn’t be moved without the ships that were built at home; the guns couldn’t be fired without the ammunition that was manufactured here. In addition, their collections of lard, tin and paper were used to produce other goods for the military.
PVE female veterans M.J. Booth, Anita Parker, Phyllis Craig, Juliette Thomas, Linda Faraday and Carla Sorrelle attended and received a copy of the book. Jan Holderness was ill and missed the presentation, and Miz Lively passed away in July 2018. We are very proud of the women represented in this book and honored to have them as fellow residents.
