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Lady in the Navy: A Personal Reminiscence
When legislation was passed in 1948 giving women permanent status in the regular and reserve Navy, it was largely due to the efforts of Joy Bright Hancock, the author of this revealing memoir. Her prominent role was acknowledged at the time by the secretary of the navy who credited her ideals, energy, and enthusiasm as the moving force behind the historic integration of women into the U.S. Navy, including the 1942 establishment of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). This personal account of those formative years has long been considered the best study available. Originally published in 1972 and out of print for nearly twenty-five years, it is now being reissued in paperback to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the birth of the WAVES. Hancock's own work as a Yeoman in World War I offered the armed services a lesson in the benefits of having women in uniform. Her descriptions are eye opening of those early days and her later efforts, when finally in a position of authority, to argue the case for women. With a wealth of documentation and numerous photographs, she chronicles not only her career but also the evolution of Navy women, offering colorful details of the legislative battles to get women admitted into the regular Navy. She reminds us that although it was not until 1967 that the last restriction of rank was removed, WAVES always served with equal pay for equal work. This new edition of her book will introduce generations of Americans to the problems of establishing a place for women in the Navy and details of Hancock's dogged pursuit of fair treatment for women in the armed services.
Paperback
First published December 11, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 25, 2020
I am proud that the US Navy Institute has chosen to publish Joy Bright Hancock’s autobiography, A Lady in the Navy. That this copy came from the USS Constitution ‘s Museum adds the additional pleasure of plugging a very worth visit to the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy. Having read more than a few such biographies by military people with experiences to share, I do not expect highly polished prose. But from a retired Navy Captain, that’s a screaming eagle type colonel to you land lubbers, - a woman who had experience as an editor and at writing reports. Official reports that would need to be more attention getting than others; I would have thought that Capt. Hancock could have told her story with more of an eye to the tradition of sea stories. Her life and contributions are worth our attention and our respect. Her writing style under serves that goal.
Having come from modest, middle class background, she originally volunteered to join the Navy as one of about 10,000 women in the Navy in World War I. After that war she mustered out but maintained her relationship with the Navy. Especially the then brand-new area of Naval Aviation. She would marry two flying officers who both died with their experimental lighter than air ships. Still she stayed with the Navy Department as a civilian until the outbreak of World War II. She was closely associated with the creation of the WAVES, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.
Note the terms, accepted, voluntary and emergency. The WAVES were expected to be a small collection of women parceled out to a very few locations and professional specialties who would then be dismissed 6 months after the war. Ms. Hancock would be among the leaders of a proud, productive and varied group of women who would serve by the many tens of thousands. All were volunteers, none drafted.
She estimates that by the end of WW II no Navy or Marine pilot completed their training without professional level contact with a WAVE. They taught gunnery, communications and navigation, packed parachutes, worked as aviation mechanics and performed every task allowed within the limits of then very restrictive laws. Too many of men of the US Navy, and Marine Corps, and later the Coast Guard would receive nursing and rehabilitation services from WAVE trained women.
The original case for the WAVES was to free men for combat duties. This the Waves accomplished, again by the tens of thousands. Overall, their individual performance was such that the same old school ranking officers who had fought against the formation of this service, quickly learned their departments performed better as the number of women increased.
Too much of Ms Hancock book is lists of the classifications, qualifications, numbers of women trained and where training was held. Laundry lists can lead depth to a narrative or just get dull. Too much of this is the recitation of lists and of the associated bureaucracy.
Facing the concurrent problems of speaking too much about herself, overstating her importance, favoritism in the naming of names and over dramatizing the achievements of the WAVES Ms Hancock tends to be too modest about herself and too impersonal about the WAVES. We often read of chins held high, smart marching reviews and mostly modest behavior after hours of demanding work. Too often Lady in the Navy reads like an official report.
Among her most important achievements culminated in 1948 when the WAVES gave over to the full recognition of WAVES as members of the regular Navy or Navy reserves. Not just accepted for emergency, but USN and USNR. It may be hard for a civilian of the 21st century to understand the importance of this official recognition, but it is ’All That” .Then Capt. Bright was in the center of this effort, but you have to read carefully to get more than hint of how central was her role or how difficult it was to get this last much deserved and delayed recognition.
Lady in the Navy tells the facts of a life unknown to too many Americans. She was an is an example of what woman can, should and will add to a planet that needs their contributions. Lady in the Navy could have said more, and there is much more only recently becoming available to readers.
Having come from modest, middle class background, she originally volunteered to join the Navy as one of about 10,000 women in the Navy in World War I. After that war she mustered out but maintained her relationship with the Navy. Especially the then brand-new area of Naval Aviation. She would marry two flying officers who both died with their experimental lighter than air ships. Still she stayed with the Navy Department as a civilian until the outbreak of World War II. She was closely associated with the creation of the WAVES, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.
Note the terms, accepted, voluntary and emergency. The WAVES were expected to be a small collection of women parceled out to a very few locations and professional specialties who would then be dismissed 6 months after the war. Ms. Hancock would be among the leaders of a proud, productive and varied group of women who would serve by the many tens of thousands. All were volunteers, none drafted.
She estimates that by the end of WW II no Navy or Marine pilot completed their training without professional level contact with a WAVE. They taught gunnery, communications and navigation, packed parachutes, worked as aviation mechanics and performed every task allowed within the limits of then very restrictive laws. Too many of men of the US Navy, and Marine Corps, and later the Coast Guard would receive nursing and rehabilitation services from WAVE trained women.
The original case for the WAVES was to free men for combat duties. This the Waves accomplished, again by the tens of thousands. Overall, their individual performance was such that the same old school ranking officers who had fought against the formation of this service, quickly learned their departments performed better as the number of women increased.
Too much of Ms Hancock book is lists of the classifications, qualifications, numbers of women trained and where training was held. Laundry lists can lead depth to a narrative or just get dull. Too much of this is the recitation of lists and of the associated bureaucracy.
Facing the concurrent problems of speaking too much about herself, overstating her importance, favoritism in the naming of names and over dramatizing the achievements of the WAVES Ms Hancock tends to be too modest about herself and too impersonal about the WAVES. We often read of chins held high, smart marching reviews and mostly modest behavior after hours of demanding work. Too often Lady in the Navy reads like an official report.
Among her most important achievements culminated in 1948 when the WAVES gave over to the full recognition of WAVES as members of the regular Navy or Navy reserves. Not just accepted for emergency, but USN and USNR. It may be hard for a civilian of the 21st century to understand the importance of this official recognition, but it is ’All That” .Then Capt. Bright was in the center of this effort, but you have to read carefully to get more than hint of how central was her role or how difficult it was to get this last much deserved and delayed recognition.
Lady in the Navy tells the facts of a life unknown to too many Americans. She was an is an example of what woman can, should and will add to a planet that needs their contributions. Lady in the Navy could have said more, and there is much more only recently becoming available to readers.
September 17, 2019
A compelling memoir of life as a female enlisted in the Navy who was instrumental in developing the WAVES program, among MANY other professional accomplishments. Stuffed with wonderful photographs, this memoir is a must for those interested in American history, military history, women's history, biography . . . you probably fall into at least one of these categories, so I'm going to just say, you'll enjoy this memoir.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews