In Timely Fashion--

WWII Living History

Even though my family got involved in Civil War reenacting, my dad's favorite time period of history had always been WWII. He already had a Civil War cadet corps going for our Civil War living history, so it was natural to take some of the older boys who were interested and start a WWII squad. We had a friend in the area who had served as a Ranger in Panama, so he helped with squad training. Not long after this, the movie Saving Private Ryan came out, doing so much to encourage veterans to open up about their experiences and for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to start asking questions and listening. There was also a big surge in interest in WWII living history, and I guess you could say my dad and brother were a part of it.

My family had always reenacted as a family hobby, so the girls, my mom and I, just could not be left out. I had never been overly interested in any 20th century history, but partially in the effort not to be left out, and partially because I started realizing how charming 1940's fashion was, I started to get hooked, too.

It quickly came to be about more than charming fashions, though. I had a neat college assignment where I was supposed to pick a decade and interview ladies about the fashions and what they wore. Of course, I picked the 'forties. I interviewed some of the sweetest ladies and learned about so much more than just clothing. I learned about how things were for them back then, what they did, and the sacrifices they made through the war. Finally, I interviewed my grandmother, and it was then that I realized how special and meaningful WWII living history really is.

My grandmother does not really understand now why I would want to dress up how she did 60 years ago, nor why I would want to "reenact" or "re-live" those dreadful times. I do it because I think it is important, so that my generation and the next generation will not forget and will not take for granted what we have to enjoy, and why we have it to enjoy. Though I still feel I know so little after doing this for about four and a half years, I am still learning and still "portraying to educate, educating to preserve, and preserving to honor…lest we forget".

Comparison

When I got into WWII living history, it was a lot smaller than Civil War reenacting, and there was not a whole lot for women to do. Civil War battle reenactments are fairly easy to observe, and civilian living history can be done in a civilian area meant to be a refugee area, "town," or "at home." There are also numerous historic sites for living history displays and such. But WWII battle scenarios are not done in the open; they are mostly tactical battles over a large area, which is not easy for spectators to observe. It is really not as much for show, and having civilian refugees does not fit (and is a safety hazard) unless the battle is in a town. Civilian homefront activities can be set up for display, but they are obviously for display and educational purposes, not for "reenacting." That is why I use the terms differently. Civil War reenactments reenact battles, sometimes even on the original battleground. WWII living history events, except for rare training events and home front activity displays, are obviously not on original battlefields here in the States, so we do living history displays. We dress up, we demonstrate, we educate, but we do not necessarily reenact.

Another difference concerns authenticity and accountability. I feel that the stakes for accurate portrayal are higher in WWII living history. Sometimes it is hard to know exactly what people wore, how they looked, what weapons they carried, what they ate, and so on for others time periods that people reenact. But in WWII living history, we are blessed to have many veterans still with us today.

Impressions When my family started to get involved in WWII living history, there was not a lot of it going on in Oklahoma where we lived. Mostly it was the "guys' thing". My mom and I were able to acquire parts of Red Cross uniforms, but we did not get the information we needed to accurately wear and portray the persona at that time. So, our first impression, and one which we still do for most events is that of Woman's Army Corps enlistees.
What I have not mentioned yet is that my husband and I actually met through my search for information about women's impressions in WWII living history. His first gift to me was my WAC uniform, and we found one for my mom on e-bay. The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, later shortened to Women's Army Corps, started in 1942 to enable women to serve in non-combat roles in the military, freeing up able-bodied men previously in the non-combat roles to go into active service in defense of the country. WACs held numerous jobs including chauffeuring, bookkeeping, typing, and accounting. According the insignia on my uniform, I would have been stationed at a flight training base in Texas. My dad suggested that my job should be typist since I had gotten pretty quick at emailing and instant messaging to Sean, who is now my husband!
	The only other persona I have done is simply a civilian on the homefront. It is definitely the easiest and probably most recommended way to start out if one is interested in doing WWII living history. There are numerous impressions that women can do in WWII living history, and there are several books and resources that can help someone trying to put together an impression.
Places While there are not quite as many events available for women WWII living historians as there are for women Civil War reenactors, there are still several events that are quite enjoyable. While in Oklahoma, my mom and I would mostly help with displays (as living, breathing, talking mannequins!) and walk in parades carrying a banner for our unit. We also participated in a couple of USO shows sponsored by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Time to take swing dance lessons! When we moved to North Carolina, my husband's home state, he already knew many of the folks in the WWII living history circles and some of the upcoming events. One of the biggest WWII living history events in the US is held at Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania. There are old barracks for us to stay in, a flea market, a few battles, veterans to talk with, and classes to learn from. Just the barracks, set up with everyone's collections of 1940's things, is a neat experience. I registered with the Paper Dolls, the main reenacting group for women wanting to do WWII living history that I know of. They had set up several enriching classes. That was my favorite part of the weekend. They talked about clothing and mending, make-up and hair, and knitting for the cause. This past year there were classes on rationing, military discipline (taught by a lady who had been a WAC), and, best of all, swing dance lessons! It has been a great experience both times, and when we have returned home Sean ends up thinking I have had more fun than he did!


	Another big event we went to last year was an airshow in Reading, Pennsylvania. They had set up displays for every major theater of the war, there was an officer's club with period (tasteful) entertainment, a radio studio with audience, and a 1940's furnished house display. There were numerous flea market booths and tents, and one area antique store had brought in enough of their wares to create a replica department store. One of the things I enjoyed was that there were several flea market vendors who catered specifically to women's clothing and paraphernalia. It was great! Last Veteran's Day, Sean and I went to another airshow in Camden, South Carolina. One of the highlights was being able to walk through the B-17. Another thing we enjoyed was helping out in the hospital tent. Sean was a volunteer "patient", and I helped a little in with the nursing.

Sean and I participated in an 82nd Airborne display last year where I had the opportunity to participate in a special project. They were making what they called Dreambags, kind of like a survival kit, to send to the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. They had made bags of scrap material, and we helped children put in toiletry items that had been donated along with a personal letter. What was special about this project is that the same thing had been done during WWII. During WWII the idea was inspired by ladies' aid organization during the Civil War. It was a way to bring history alive by showing that some things stay the same no matter what time period. Another fun display we have participated in is at the USS Batfish submarine in Muskogee, Oklahoma. I know it is not where you would expect to find a submarine, but we have made some good memories there meeting with fellow living historians, talking with veterans, and educating the public. For a bigger ship, the USS North Carolina has some WWII living history events. I have yet to participate there, but Sean has done so several times as have some of my other friends.
	I participated in a local event highlighting the homefront in Historic Hillsborough, North Carolina last fall. In the county historical museum we set up displays on war bonds, Sons in Service flags, Dogs for Defense, a scrap metal drive, and Knitting for the Cause. There was a collection of 1940's vehicles on display as well as some other historic displays around town. We ended the day by playing Casablanca in the basement of the museum. It was a special festive event where we really were able to talk with people, including veterans and many children, and learn, educate, and share our history.
That includes most of the events that I have participated in. In a lot of ways I still feel like a "newbie" to this era, but I am learning, and I have been fortunate to have made a few friends who have let me stick around with them for guidance, information, and direction!

Clothing I do not really have a large wardrobe (yet!) for doing WWII living history. As I have mentioned, the main thing I wear is my WAC uniform. I have the winter dress uniform, the summer dress uniform, and now warm field gear to wear to Fort Indiantown Gap (it gets pretty cold up there in January!). I have worn my Red Cross uniform for a couple of displays. I have also made a couple of civilian dresses. For one I used an original pattern, and for the other, I designed it for one of my pattern-making classes. I have several original and re-produced patterns that I look forward to making sometime; I just always have too many sewing projects lined up to get to them all! I even have one clothing pattern that my grandmother used. She used to sew a lot and even made stuffed animals to sell during the war for supplemental income. I think it would be neat to find those patterns, make some up like my grandmother did, and perhaps set up a booth at an event. If you do not have old patterns in the family, original patterns may be found in antique stores, on e-bay, from Patterns from the Past , from Past Patterns , and Mrs. Chancey has one. Some of the major pattern publishers have also reproduced some of their vintage patterns. Especially of note is Vintage Vogue and Butterick . When choosing patterns, make sure you check the measurement chart carefully, as the ratio between size number and measurement has changed.

If you do not enjoy sewing, there are multitudes of antique stores, vintage and retro clothing shops, and reproduction shops that would have what you would need to put together an outfit. When I first became interested, I found a lot of outfits, shoes, hats, and accessories on e-bay. Since I was trying to be thrifty, I did not purchase much at first, but instead got an idea of what I was looking for. As time has passed, I have acquired a few hats, shoes, accessories, even a mink collar (heads and appendages still attached!) at reasonable prices. Check the links on the Paper Dolls website for leads. I have also found The Costumer's Manifesto to be a good starting point for resource searches.

Hair & Make-up

I used to think that grandmothers had short hair because they just always thought they had to get it cut short when they got to a certain age. Now I realize that that was just the fashion they were brought up with. As during any war, fashion is somewhat militarized, and WWII was no exception. For women going into the WACs or any other women's organization that aided the military, there was a regulation that hair could not touch the collar. It was easier for most women to cut their hair short rather than roll it, and with the greater civilian population copying that fashion, most women had shorter haircuts. The fashion was also to have curly or wavy hair, so thank the Lord for bobby-pins, for every self-respecting woman must sleep with pin curls or rags in her hair to maintain style. One thing I enjoy about 1940's fashion is that it was a woman's patriotic duty to look like a lady. By doing so, she was contributing to the war effort. That is how it was seen. Even through rationing fabric, shortening hairstyles, and militaristic and tailored styling, a lady was still supposed to look and act like a lady through curls, lipstick, stockings, and deportment.

I have friends who have gotten WWII haircuts, but I like to keep my hair longer, so I roll my hair in much the same way as I do for my Civil War hairstyle actually. This keeps my hair off my uniform collar. For civilian wear, however, you can be a lot more creative. The book 1940's Hairstyles by Daniela Turudich is an excellent resource for haircuts and styling.

As far as make-up goes, it should be fairly natural except for that bright red lipstick. They actually had different colors of lipsticks including pinks and oranges, but the signature color was red. I am not a lipstick girl, but I must say it makes a big difference in obtaining "the look!"

1940's fashion is simply timeless and classic. Even the military uniforms just have a classic look to them. The repeat of certain elements of fashion through time interests me. I think it is neat that Gone with the Wind made certain stylistic elements of the Civil War and Victorian eras popular during the 1940's. It is interesting to see how some of them re-appeared in the 1980s, and it is again interesting to see how they have emerged even in some lines of modern classic and feminine clothing. I enjoy wearing 1940s-inspired clothing more than just to living history events, because it is timeless. I love the silhouette; I love the sharp, clean, tailored, but still elegantly feminine look that it can produce. I have even worn those seamed stockings and charming shoes for normal wear. Now I just need to be a bit braver to wear one of the hats or that mink collar!

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