Shirley Ruth Smith Collection

Collection

Identifier: WV 0318

Staff Only

Shirley Ruth Smith Collection, Digital Materials

Scope and Contents

Correspondence between Shirley R. Smith and her family and friends documents her service in the American Red Cross from 1943 to 1945. Letters in 1943 from Smith to her family in Wyoming, Ohio, describe her daily activities in great detail. Subjects in the spring of 1943 include her work with patients, a WAAC beauty shop, and a ceremony for Gray Ladies at her hospital in Indiana. Letters from Washington, D.C., provide detailed information about station and general hospitals and the process by which Smith was assigned to duty by the Red Cross. Other topics in 1943 include facilities and coworkers at Camp Bowie, Tex.; drill; uniforms and accessories; her voyage to England and social activities on the ship; recreation and holiday festivities at the 67th General Hospital; and her pride in being a Red Cross worker and in working with the nurses in the hospital.

Letters dating from 1944 and 1945 contain more sparse information about Smith's daily life in England. Subjects include news about family and friends; items that she needs or packages that she received; social activities, people coming and going; and how busy she is with work.

Also included are letters and V-mail from Smith's family and friends. Letters from family primarily describe news from home; those from Smith's brother Francis comment on his own wartime experiences. Several 1944 letters from former patients of Smith attest to the good work of the Red Cross and describe their recovery. A September 1944 letter from another Red Cross worker describes her return from China and her transition back to civilian life.

Dates

1941-1945

Creator

Smith, Shirley Ruth (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

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

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information. Please see our Sensitive Materials Statement.

Biographical Note

Shirley R. Smith was a social worker in the American Red Cross from 1943 to 1945. She initially served in a station hospital at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, before reporting to Washington, D.C., in August 1943. Smith remained in Washington until the middle of the month, when she traveled to Camp Bowie, Texas, where she joined the 32nd General Hospital. In September 1943, Smith sailed to England, where she apparently remained in Taunton, England, until the end of the war. She served with the 32nd General Hospital until the fall of 1943, when she transferred to the 67th General Hospital.

Extent

.08 Linear Feet (6 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Additional Description

Abstract

Shirley R. Smith was a social worker in the American Red Cross from 1943 to 1945.

Correspondence between Shirley R. Smith and her family and friends documents her service in the American Red Cross from 1943 to 1945. Letters in 1943 from Smith to her family in Wyoming, Ohio, describe her daily activities in great detail. Subjects in the spring of 1943 include her work with patients, a WAAC beauty shop, and a ceremony for Gray Ladies at her hospital in Indiana. Letters from Washington, D.C., provide detailed information about station and general hospitals and the process by which Smith was assigned to duty by the Red Cross. Other topics in 1943 include facilities and coworkers at Camp Bowie, Tex.; drill; uniforms and accessories; her voyage to England and social activities on the ship; recreation and holiday festivities at the 67th General Hospital; and her pride in being a Red Cross worker and in working with the nurses in the hospital. Letters dating from 1944 and 1945 contain more sparse information about Smith's daily life in England. Also included are letters and V-mail from Smith's family and friends.

Arrangement Note

Collection is arranged chronologically.

Method of Acquisition

Purchased in 2005.

Offensive Language Statement

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