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The Women’s Motor Corps on a drill in Flatbush, 1918, v1973.6.701; Brooklyn photograph and illustration collection, ARC.202; Brooklyn Historical Society.In honor of Women’s History Month, I thought I would recognize our local Brooklyn heroines with the above photograph. It was only with the first World War that women became part of the war effort beyond domestic duties. The Motor Corps was established by the National League of Women’s Services in conjunction with the Red Cross. It was entirely voluntary and appealed to many female socialites in Brooklyn who had the time and the money to share. Among the roles women could play, the Motor Corps was particularly challenging. It required the most training and time: a chauffeur’s license, mechanics’ license, a typhoid inoculation, and a car! Their duties included transport and ambulatory services for troops in the local region and they were on call 24/7.
Interested in seeing more photographs from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery which includes a selection of our images. To search our entire collection of images, visit BHS Othmer Library Wed-Fri 1:00-5:00 p.m.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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