]> Finding Aid for the Lillian M. Pimlott Papers, 1937-1968 Processed by: Linda Jacobson; machine-readable finding aid created by: Beth Carmichael University Archives & ManuscriptsThe University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC, USA
2007 Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: July 2007. Description is in English. Finding aid was prepared using DACS. Finding Aid for the Lillian M. Pimlott Papers, 1937-1968 University Libraries, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro &hdrnguscua; Descriptive Summary The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. University Archives & Manuscripts. Pimlott, Lillian M. Lillian M. Pimlott Papers, 1937-1968 WV0219 Material in English. 1.25 linear feet 2.5 boxes For current information on the location of these materials, please consult University Archives & Manuscripts. Lillian Mary Pimlott, a Trenton, New Jersey native, joined the U.S. Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in March 1943 as an ensign and retired years later as a lieutenant commander in the navy. Correspondence, military papers, photographs, and printed material primarily document Lillian Pimlott's 1943-1946 service in the WAVES and her continued military service in the naval reserves. Letters to family and friends describe Pimlott's 1937 travels to England, her World War II service in the WAVES, primarily at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and news of social engagements and activities. Topics of her letters include women in the military, the culture and nature in Hawaii, and Pimlott's desire to remain in the service. Other military materials include naval handbooks and souvenirs. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

 Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Lilliam M. Pimlott Papers (WV0219), Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA.

 Acquisitions Information

Purchased in 2001.

 Processing Information

Processed by Linda Jacobson, January 2002

Encoded by Beth Carmichael, July 2007

Processing Note: A collection of recruiting pamphlets from the 1960s and early 1970s have been removed and placed in the Women Veterans Historical Project's recruiting pamphlet collection.

 Biographical Note

Lillian Mary Pimlott, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Pimlott, Sr., was born in Trenton, New Jersey. She graduated from Immaculate Conception High School and attended New Jersey State Teachers College and the University of Pennsylvania. She was a teacher before joining the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in March 1943.

In the fall of 1943, Pimlott worked in a recruiting office in Chicago. One year later, in October 1944, she was transferred to Washington, D.C., where she served as an administrative assistant with a committee for the standardization of naval terminology. Pimlott received orders in April 1945 to go to Pearl Harbor, but she trained enlisted WAVES in Shoemaker, California, before sailing to Hawaii. Once in Hawaii, Pimlott worked in the District Personnel Office classifying men and women and aiding them in job placement. She remained in that position until August 1946.

In August 1946, Pimlott was sent to Lakehurst, New Jersey, where she was statined at the U.S. Naval Air Station. She volunteered to stay with the U.S. Naval Reserve until July 1947, but remained at the base in Lakehurst at least through the end of that year. It appears that Pimlott either stayed in the service or left after 1947 and then returned in the early 1950s. A collection of recruiting pamphlets and handbooks from the 1960s and early 1970s indicates that she may have worked as a recruiter or as an instructor in naval schools. In 1964, when stationed at the naval base in Newport, Rhode Island, Pimlott was appointed commander. Her date of retirement from the navy is unknown.

In the mid-1950s, Lillian Pimlott married Al Newbanks.

 Collection Overview

Correspondence, military papers, photographs, and printed material primarily document Lillian M. Pimlott's 1943-1946 service in the WAVES and her continued military service in the naval reserves. Letters to family and friends describe Pimlott's 1937 travels to England, her World War II service in the WAVES, and news of social engagements and activities. Topics of World War II letters include women in the military, the culture and nature in Hawaii, and Pimlott's desire to remain in the service. Other military materials include handbooks and souvenirs.

Collection Arrangement

Collection is organized into the following series: Correspondence, Military Papers, Photographs, and Printed Material

 Detailed Description of the Collection Series 1. Correspondence, 1937-1968, undated

Letters to family and friends describe Pimlott's 1937 travels to England, her World War II service in the WAVES, and news of social engagements and activities. Letters from 1937 provide great detail about Pimlott's voyage on the Britannic to England and a visit with family members living in that country.

World War II correspondence provides information about Pimlott's work, surroundings, relationships, and feelings of pride about being in the navy. Correspondence begins in November 1943 when she worked at a recruiting office in Chicago, but the bulk of the material covers Pimlott's tenure at Pearl Harbor from the spring of 1945 to the fall of 1946. Subjects include the effects of women in the service, the treatment of women at Pearl Harbor, the place of women in the military, and navy life at the base. Letters from this time also describe the island's flora, climate, architecture, and the diversity of its people. Letters from December 1945 describe Pimlott's reaction to the news of VJ Day and to Pearl Harbor memorials on December 7. Correspondence from the spring of 1946 tracks her decision not to return to teaching and her career plans to remain with the WAVES as long as possible. 1947 letters from Lillian to her family in England primarily provide news of family and friends and social events.

Also included in this series are letters written to Lillian from friends and family between 1937 and 1968. Letters from a friend in Manila in 1945 describe demobilization and life in the Philippines after the Japanese surrender. Letters from Al Newbanks in 1950 describe a trip to Malta.

 1 1 1937 2 1942-1943 3 1944 4 1945: January-April 5 1945: May-August 6 1945: September-October 2 7 1945: November-December 8 1946: January-March 9 1946: April-June 10 1946: July-December 11 1947-1968, undated Series 2. Military Papers, 1945-1961, undated

Military records include a 1945 paystub and information about a 1961 naval school leadership training course for naval reserves. The handbook for the leadership training course contains notes presumably written by Pimlott. Also included are notes about grading the performance of officer candidates in 1963 and undated notes about a naval grading and aptitutde system.

 3 12 1945, 1955 13 1961 14 1963-1964, undated Series 3. Photographs, 1937, circa 1945-1946

Six black-and-white photographs of Lillian Pimlott, mostly in uniform. One photograph was taken on board the Britannic en route to England in 1937 and at least two of the photos were taken at Hale Luana in Hawaii in the spring of 1946.

 3 15 Photographs Series 4. Printed Material, 1944-1964, undated

Souvenirs, photocopies of newspaper articles and advertisements, and guides and handbooks to various training centers. Souvenirs from World War II include miscellaneous items such as a menu from a Hawaiian restaurant and mess coupons. Topics of newspaper clippings from 1945 include relief, Japanese American internees returning to Hawaii, the recruitment of WAVES, and other subjects pertaining to either Hawaii or women in the service. Also included are a 1945 guide to the naval training and distribution center at Shoemaker, California, near San Francisco; a 1951 handbook for the officer indoctrination unit in Newport, Rhode Island; information about the assignments of women naval officers circa 1963; a 1964 student regulations handbook for the naval women officer's school; and an undated history of the WAVES.

 3 16-18 1940s 19 1950s 20-21 1960s 22 Undated Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Hawaii--Description and travel. Pearl Harbor (Hawaii) Pimlott, Lillian M. United States--Armed Forces--Women. United States. Naval Reserve. Women's Reserve Women veterans--United States. World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Female. World War, 1939-1945--Women--United States.