#war work

[locfan]

One of the 1,000 skilled Negro women working at the Kaiser shipyards, at Richmond, California, who helped build the SS George Washington Carver, launched on May 7, 1943. Miss Odie Mae Embry mans the emergency switch for the protection of track workers as the huge crane swings 100 feet above. Joseph, E. F. (Emmanuel Francis), 1900 or 1901-1979, photographer Created / Published between 1943 and 1945

[newyorkthegoldenage]

A war work poster in a U.S. employment office on February 3, 1943 catches the eye of this worker. More than 10,000 workers, many of them in jobs listed as non-deferrable for the draft regardless of dependencies, thronged to U.S. employment offices in New York the same day.

Photo: John Lindsay for the AP

[todaysdocument]

Memorandum relating to racialized violence at the Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company in Mobile, AL, where some Black workers had recently been promoted to welders. May 25, 1943. 

Record Group 211: Records of the War Manpower Commission

Series: Speeches by Members of Regional Office Staff and Other Material

Transcription: 

FORM OEM-32 [top left side of paper]

(8-7-42) [top left side of paper]

[A date stamp appears on the top right side of the paper.  The stamp is circular with numbers 1 to 12 around the circumference with an arrow pointing to 9. The center part of the stamp says RECEIVED MAY 27 1943 War Manpower Commission Atlanta, Ga.]

[Below the stamp are what appear to be initials, handwritten, with a check mark on top of them. The name Allen is handwritten below.]

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

OFFICE FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

————————

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

TO:  Mr. Constangy [left side]

DATE:  5/25/43 [right side]

FROM:  Toulmin G.A.T. [The initials are handwritten to the right of surname] [left side]

5:30 PM [right side]

SUBJECT:  Racial Disturbance - ADDSCO [left side]

Attached are clippings from the afternoon "Mobile Press".

Today, I have had contacts with the following and have obtained what I believe to be reliable information from them.

Lt. Campbell, Naval Intelligence

Arthur Kearney, ADDSCO

Mr. Craven, " [ditto marks below ADDSCO above]

John Boucher, CIO - ADDSCO Union Rep'v.

J. C. Gates, Mgr., USES, Mobile.

Chas Baumhauer, Commissioner, City of Mobile.

Apparently the disturbance came off when the morning shift went on at 7 o'clock.  It is said that the first shift of negro welders went on about 11 o'clock last night and were finishing up their work at 7 this morning.  The whiteworkers [sic] began to collect in groups and it is said that they first threatened to strike.  Later, according to eye witnesses, they began to throw various pieces of steel, etc., at negroes near the work.  One white foreman is said to have been injured when he attempted to make the white men desist.  Mr. Craven said it was understood that one of the men hit him with a 2x4 rail and knocked him out, also a cut necessitated surgical treatment with a number of stitches for the wound.

One of the negroes who saw the trouble came up and [sic] here and said about five negroes were injured.  This seemed to be so, but I was told later that none of the injuries were very serious.  Large numbers of both white and negro workers left the yard and came back to the city.  A group of about 2 hundred negroes went first to the union headquarters and then were persuaded to go home until better order was secured.  The negro who came up to see me said his foreman urged his crew of laborers to leave the yard until order was restored and safety for them assured.

So far as can be ascertained this evening, no further trouble has developed at the yard.  However, instructions have been issued for women and children to remain off the streets and for citizens to be conservative in their talk, being careful not to stir up any further racial feeling.

[Stamp at bottom of page shows a soldier with a rifle and along side are the words FOR VICTORY BUY UNITED STATES WAR BONDS AND STAMPS]

[page 2]

FORM OEM-32 [left side of paper]

(8-7-42) [left side of paper]

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

OFFICE FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

—————

OFFICE MEMORANDUM

TO:  [blank] [left side]

DATE: [blank [right side]

FROM:  [blank] [left side]

-  2. - [typed in the middle of this section]

SUBJECT:  [blank]

It seems that the better element at the yard took no part in the demonstration this morning, and I heard from Hugh Cornelius, General Superintendent for Doullut & Ewin, General Contractors, who have an office near where the trouble began, that he felt that the attack on the negroes was without any justification whatever and the action of a bunch of hoodlums.

It is hoped that the Management of ADDSCO will restore order and that the Yard will resume operations tomorrow morning.

The United States Employment Service has been cautioned to be particularly careful in handling releases during the next few days so that as little disruption of labor market conditions will result from this unfortunate incident as may be.

Dr. Morley will return to the office tomorrow morning and will, no doubt, keep you advised of any developments.

Encllsures [sic]

[A stamp appears on the bottom left side of page with a soldier holding a rifle and alongside are the words FOR VICTORY BUY UNITED STATES WAR BONDS AND STAMPS]

[wordfromoursponsor]

“They have a hundred little secrets to help them stay busy and beautiful. And one is Modess Sanitary Napkins!” (1943)

[hagleyvault]

We’re observing the last day of Black History Month with this favorite photo from Negro Women War Workers, a bulletin published in 1945 by the Women’s Bureau of the United States Department of Labor. The booklet documented the work of black women in the labor force on the American home front in the fight against Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers during World War II. This woman is Rosalie Ivy, shown working as a “panman” in a steel mill. The photograph was originally taken for Life magazine by Margaret Bourke-White in 1943. Other professions pictured in the bulletin include a shipyard welder, bomber mount assembly worker, bomber plant photo unit worker, railroad terminal worker, and government bacteriologist.

This bulletin is Pam 2000.826 in the Hagley Library’s Trade Catalogs and Pamphlets collection. You can view it online in our Digital Archives by clicking here.

[professorpski]

March 1918, National Geographic

When I offered a bid on a pile of old magazines during the silent auction at the national symposium of the Costume Society of America, I was set on the needlework books that were part of it. But also in the pile was a National Geographic from March 1918 whose stories were almost all about World War I including a long article on “America’s Citizen Army” by William Howard Taft, who was both president and a justice on the Supreme Court. And among the photos was this one, showing two navy men mending shirts with a hand cranked portable sewing machine and by hand.

The reference to Susie comes from a song making fun of clumsy efforts by women working in their homes doing volunteer work for the war effort by sewing for soldiers. It was a hit that Al Jolson made famous in 1914. Herman Darewski composed the music and R. P. Weston wrote the lyrics:                       

“Sister Susie's Sewing Shirts For Soldiers”

Sister Susie's sewing in the kitchen on a "Singer", There's miles and miles of flannel on the floor And up the stairs, And father says it's rotten getting mixed up with the cotton, And sitting on the needles that she leaves upon the chairs. And should you knock at our street door Ma whispers, "Come inside." Then when you ask where Susie is, She says with loving pride:

"Sister Susie's sewing shirts for soldiers Such skill at sewing shirts Our shy young sister Susie shows! Some soldiers send epistles, Say they'd sooner sleep in thistles Than the saucy, soft, short shirts for soldiers sister Susie sews." Piles and piles and piles of shirts she sends out to the soldiers, And sailors won't be jealous when they see them, Not at all. And when we say her stitching will set all the soldiers itching, She says our soldiers fight best when their back's against the wall. And little brother Gussie, he who lisps when he says "yes", Says "Where's the cotton gone from off my kite? Oh, I can gueth!"

And it goes on from there. The Library of Congress has the sheet music in case you would like to learn to sing along: https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.100005395/

[locfan]

Kaiser shipyards, Richmond, Calif. Welder-trainee Josie Lucille Owens helping to construct the Liberty ship SS George Washington Carver Joseph, E. F. (Emmanuel Francis), 1900 or 1901-1979, photographer Created / Published 1943