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VINTAGRAPH • WPA • WWII • YOU MEAN A WOMAN CAN OPEN IT?

Plane Doctor: 1942

August 1942. "Women in white doctor Navy planes (motors) at the Naval Air Base, Corpus Christi, Texas. Mildred Webb, an National Youth Administration trainee at the base, is learning to operate a cutting machine in the Assembly and Repair Department. After about eight weeks as an apprentice she will be eligible for a civil service job in the capacity for which she has been trained." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem, Office of War Information. View full size.

August 1942. "Women in white doctor Navy planes (motors) at the Naval Air Base, Corpus Christi, Texas. Mildred Webb, an National Youth Administration trainee at the base, is learning to operate a cutting machine in the Assembly and Repair Department. After about eight weeks as an apprentice she will be eligible for a civil service job in the capacity for which she has been trained." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem, Office of War Information. View full size.

 

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Machine shop memories

First days of machine shop apprenticeship - I remember it well. Bandsaw: Break the blade, square up the ends, re-weld the blade, anneal the weld joint, grind off the slag from the joint, quickly re-anneal & then bend it in half, until you've done it 5 times in a row without it shattering at the joint. Then it's time to remount the blade and saw some steel stock: Set the upper blade guide height (what she's doing here), check and adjust blade speed on the chart for the blades' teeth per inch vs. the thickness of your stock, etc.
Safety wise: No jewelry, short sleeves, hat to keep hot metal chips out of her hair... looking pretty good. Her pair of old-style, round safety glasses are probably just out of sight.

Cringe

Even back then, they had safety glasses. I suspect a posed publicity shot.

[These were taken by the government for use in promotional materials, such as posters, to encourage women to seek wartime industrial employment. The workers and their tasks were real, but the photos were posed. - tterrace]

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