Interview of Dorothy M. Harrison on her service in the American Red Cross during WWII

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Description:

In a 1983 oral history interview, Dorothy M. Harrison talks about her childhood in Royal Oak, MI, attending the University of Michigan and her service in the American Red Cross during World War Two. Harrison says she volunteered for the ARC in late 1942 and after receiving their training, her unit was shipped to Europe as part of a forty-ship convoy which was attacked by a German submarine during the crossing. Harrison also talks about opening a service club with the 93rd Heavy Bombardment Group in Hardwick, England, moving to the 337th General Service Engineers and later to the 363rd Photo Reconnaissance Group as part of the push across Germany as the war ended. She describes her quarters, her duties, celebrating Christmas with the troops during the Battle of the Bulge, struggling to get the equipment and supplies she needed to keep the clubs running, and the sexual harassment she experienced. Harrison says that she returned to the U.S. in September 1945, resumed her career as a librarian and married and moved with her husband to Louisville, KY to raise a family.

Date Issued:

1983-01-01T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Michigan State University. Libraries

Collection:

Women's Overseas Service League Oral History Project

Place:

England and Belgium

Subject Topic:

Childhood and youth, Knowledge and learning, World War, 1939-1945, World War, 1939-1945, Participation, Female, World War, 1939-1945, War work, Red Cross, Soldiers, Recreation, Ardennes, Battle of the, 1944-1945, Christmas, and Sexual harassment

Subject Name:

Harrison, Dorothy M. (Dorothy McDonald), 1914-2004, Harrison, Dorothy M. (Dorothy McDonald), 1914-2004, Harrison, Dorothy M. (Dorothy McDonald), 1914-2004, American National Red Cross, and University of Michigan

Subject Genre:

Interviews, Interviews, and Personal narratives, American

Language:

English

Rights:

In Copyright

URL:

https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m55m5k