In World War I, women physicians were not eligible to join the U.S. Army, but this did not stop them from aiding the war effort. These doctors served with the French army, with relief agencies, or as contract physicians (with no insurance or benefits) for the U.S. Army. Dr. Anna Maria Gove, physician at State Normal and Industrial College (now UNCG) from 1893 to 1936, served with the Red Cross in the Children's Relief Division and with the Smith College Relief Unit in France from 1918 to 1919.
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Dr. Gove had an extensive wardrobe of World War I uniforms that she had custom made. This olive drab uniform was made by Abercrombie and Fitch, one of the companies who made military uniforms for women at that time. (Anna M. Gove uniforms, University Archives Textile Collection) |
Anna Gove in the olive drab uniform with members of the American Red Cross staff in France. This photo shows the many variations of the nurse's uniform. (American Red Cross Bureau of Photography, Anna Maria Gove Collection) |
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On August 29, 1916, during World War I, Congress created the Naval Reserve, which included the Yeoman (F), often called the Yeomanettes, to work alongside men in shore jobs. About 11,275 women served as Yeomanettes in the Navy while another 300 enlisted as Marinettes in the Marine Corps. However, women did not have the opportunity to make a career in the Navy. By the summer of 1919 they had all been discharged from active duty. |
Yeomanette uniform, World War I. (Women Veterans General Textile Collection) |
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Clara Fredere Sullivan, a North Carolina native, completed her nurse's training at St. Peter's Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., in 1917. She was accepted in the Army Nurse Corps in the spring of 1918 and was attached to Base Hospital 65, which was organized by Dr. John Wesley Long of Greensboro. The unit arrived in France in September 1918 and stayed until November 1919. She was discharged on December 7, 1919. This is the medical kit that Clara Sullivan used during the war. |
One of the many types of WWI nurse's caps (Women Veterans General Textile Collection) |
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Letter from Red Cross Nurse Glory Hancock. Click on the image for a larger view and transcript. (Glory Hancock Collection, #WV-0181) |
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