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Frances Barringer Bailey Collection

Frances B. Bailey (1920-2006), of Concord, North Carolina, worked in supply, disbursing, and payroll in the United States Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) from April 1943 until 1946.

Aerial photograph of review parade
Aerial photograph of review parade at U.S. Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas, on April 13, 1946. Four WAVES unit formations and many male navy units stand at attention on a tarmac.
Four WAVES and a sailor
Five U.S. Navy members pose outside a building at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas, circa 1946. The WAVES are identified as colleagues of Francis B. Bailey, who worked in the base's dispersing and payroll offices.
Frances Barringer Bailey in uniform
Frances Barringer Bailey poses on the steps of a building in her WAVES dress white summer uniform with officer's combination hat in 1943. A note on the back of the photo reads,"Dress whites - we hated this uniform."
Frances Barringer Bailey in uniform
Francis Barringer Bailey poses in front of her home wearing the WAVES white summer uniform with officer's combination hat and a purse. The back of the photo reads, "Summer seersucker - seldom wore the jacket."
Frances Barringer Bailey with coworker
Frances Barringer Bailey poses with a coworker, a sailor, on the steps of a building at the Naval Air Station at Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1946. Both carry pistols in holsters on their hips because Bailey is transporting the payroll.
Franes Barringer Bailey in uniform beside a car
Frances Barringer Bailey poses beside a car in front of her home wearing a belted raincoat and officer's combination hat. The back of the photo reads,"The raincoat, we thought it flattering."
Great Lakes Supply Department staff
A formal group photograph of the Great Lakes Supply Department staff at U.S. Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois, taken November 12, 1943.
Oral history interview with Frances Barringer Bailey
Documents Frances Barringer Bailey's experiences at the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina; her service with the U.S. Navy WAVES in Massachusetts; Great Lakes, Illinois; and Corpus Christi, Texas; and her career in education. Bailey briefly discusses her time at the Woman's College and mentions the math department and her social life on campus. She also notes her awareness of current events in the 1930s and learning about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. " Topics related to the WAVES include Bailey's decision to join the WAVES instead of the Women's Army Corps; basic training at Smith College; supply school at Radcliffe College; her work in supply at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois, and her living arrangements while stationed outside Chicago. She also discusses her work in disbursing in Corpus Christi, Texas, including wearing a gun while distributing payroll and her social life in the service. and WAVES songs. " Other World War II era topics include a Montauk Point commander's refusal to let a woman be stationed there; attending the 1944 Democratic Convention in Chicago; seeing actors Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor in Great Lakes; WAVES songs; Bailey's opinions of General Douglas MacArthur and President Roosevelt; and her opinion of women in combat positions. " Personal topics include raising her children after the death of her husband and her career in education after the war.
Portrait of Frances Barringer Bailey
A formal portrait of Frances Barringer Bailey taken upon completion of WAVES basic training in the summer of 1943. She wears a dark uniform with the combination hat.
Supply School graduation class
Half of the graduating class of the Navy Supply Corps School at Harvard's Radcliffe College pose for a formal photo in August 1943. The group is comprised of five rows of WAVES and three male sailors.
WAVES dine at an anniversary party
WAVES dine at tables during a party in Corpus Christi, Texas. The women are probably celebrating the 3rd anniversary of the establishment of the WAVES on July 30, 1942. The WAVES are in navy blue dress uniforms and being waited on by an African-American male. Bailey notes that the woman seated at the left side of the table in the foreground with the anchor on her sleeve is a nurse.
WAVES pass in review
Three WAVES, including Francis Barringer Bailey in the center, salute as pass in review at U.S. Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas, on April 13, 1946. Male navy officers stand on a raised platform to take the review, with service men in khaki uniforms standing at attention to their right.
WAVES units pass in review
Review ceremony at the U.S. Naval Air Station at Corpus Christi, Texas, on April 13, 1946. Two WAVES formations march on the tarmac, followed by units of male sailors. Three officers stand in a triangle formation in front. Two male and one female officer stand on a platform to take the review.

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