wnel

Women's National Emergency Legion driver, 1942

from State Library of New South Wales

• 1 older comment, and then…
• covid convict said:

  Some of the other photos in this series appeared in Pix on 25th July, 1942 in a pictorial on the Women's National Emergency Legion, titled 'Australian Girls with US Army'...according to Pix, the girl we see here driving the car was Pat West...though I suspect this might not have been her real name... nla.gov.au/nla.obj-434874248/view - see article on pp. 3-5

• State Library of New South Wales said:

  covid convict 👍

• covid convict said:

  For what it's worth, pics 7 and 8 in this series were taken in Vulture St, South Brisbane, outside Somerville House school. During WW2 the school was evidently used as HQ for the US Army Services of Supply ("SOS") branch...my guess is all the other pics in this series might also have been taken in Brisbane. goo.gl/maps/NHdwEzAjooqoLmxa8 - Google street view showing the Vulture St entrance to Somerville House as it now appears. The Somerville House entrance appears in pic No. 6 in this series. My guess is the middle gate post might have been removed during WW2 to allow trucks etc to use the entrance, or maybe it was a later addition... In the background in the Google street view pic you can see the distinctive tower on the former South Brisbane Town Hall...it appears in pic No. 7 in this series...

• covid convict said:

  I have to take back my comment above that Pat West might not have been the girl's real name! trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/98259623 - the Brisbane Sunday Mail, 29th June, 1941...pic here of Pat West checking her tickets to the Licensed Victuallers' annual ball...looks to be the same girl... As things transpire, it appears that Pat West was captured by the enemy! trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/203226269 - Brisbane Truth, 8th May, 1949...'Social Jottings'...the 2nd paragraph here suggests she married Bradt M. Cameron of Birmingham, Alabama... trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/171959103 - the Brisbane Telegraph, 1st May, 1942...'US Army Pay'...I'd say this is the chap she married...'Second Lieutenant B.M. Cameron of Alabama'...they were evidently married in Brisbane in April 1944...QLD BDMs have Bradt Milroy Cameron ; Patricia Dorothy West...

• covid convict said:

  www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/brandon-fl/patricia-ca... - ha! here's her life story...what an interesting life! www.ozatwar.com/people/patriciawest.htm - the Pix photos...plus a photo of her Driver Service pin and General Eichelberger's star...