March 22 & 23 – Live Displays in the Museum – Women Behind the Front!
The month of March is dedicated to Women's History Month on our social media channels. Women often played a crucial role behind the front lines during World War II and other wars or conflicts.
As a museum, we want to take this a step further. On Saturday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23, between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM, a group of female re-enactors will present themselves in our museum. They will showcase different perspectives to visitors—American, British, and Dutch—by portraying various roles. Below, you will find some examples of the roles they will bring to life.
At 12:00, the lecture: The Women's Army Corps during WWII by Emmelie Geeraedts.
And at 14:00, the lecture: Flight Nurses & Air Evacuation in the USAAF (in English).
Civilian Nurses
To help wounded Allied soldiers, many civilians joined military medical posts, including a large number of nurses. Where there is fighting, there are casualties, and where there are casualties, help is needed. Assisting those who came to liberate your country was the least one could do. The children of these nurses also played a role by entertaining injured children with games. Even young girls could make a positive difference during the war, no matter how small their contribution.
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)
The WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) were a select group of young American women who flew military aircraft from factories to airfields, conducted test flights with new planes, and helped train male pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) for combat duty. This civilian organization was established in August 1943, following the merger of two existing women's pilot groups: the Women’s Flying Training Detachment (WFTD), led by Jacqueline Cochran, and the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS), founded by Nancy Harkness Love.
Unfortunately, during World War II, these female pilots did not receive the recognition they deserved, and the WASP program was disbanded in December 1944. However, in 1977, they were finally granted veteran status, and in 2009, their exceptional work was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.
