Women working during WWII in the mining town of Bauxite
Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked at 7:48 A.M. on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941. This early morning surprise was carried out by the Imperial Japanese Navy in a barrage that lasted two hours and destroyed or crippled
18 U.S. ships, destroyed nearly 300 planes, killed 2,403
U.S. military service personnel and 68 civilians, wounded over 1,000 others, and pulled the United States into World War II.
This horrific war lasted until the Surrender of the German High Command document was signed on May 7, 1945. For the past eighty years, this major war still lives clearly in the memory of many people whose lives were forever changed.
The demand for aluminum in World War I was small in proportion to that of World War II. In the small town of Bauxite, Arkansas, Alcoa, “The Company” as we referred to it, had to produce aluminum to meet the war demands for the manufacture of defense weapons for America and its allies, as well as, supply requests from civilian users.
As the war progressed, considerable anxiety was felt over the ability of the Arkansas bauxite ore fields to supply enough high-grade ore from which aluminum was extracted. What the war did to influence the research and development of the aluminum industry can still be seen today.
During the war, study and experiments compelled manufacturers to use aluminum in the production of many peace time items as well as instruments of war.
While bauxite ore was in high demand, 95 percent of the ore used in the manufacture of metallic aluminum came from Bauxite, Arkansas. This was by far the most significant contribution the town of Bauxite made to our great nation in the production of airplanes and other weapons of war that were instrumental in winning the war. A signed and sealed commendation from the Secretary of Defense to Alcoa and its workers is proudly displayed in the Bauxite Museum.
A short side story here is a piece of history of one defense airplane produced during WWII. On March 12, 1943, a WWII B17 defense plane crashed 5.8 miles north of Sheridan, Arkansas, with nine Army Air Force crew members on board who lost their lives. At that crash site, the B17 Memorial Park has been built with a life size B17 Flying Fortress inside the park in honor of those nine soldiers. While touring the park, visitors should keep in mind that the plane came to rest only a few miles from where it originated as bauxite ore.
In the early part of 1943, bauxite ore production had increased to meet sudden and unparalleled demands for the manufacture of defense weapons. Caught between the drain of personnel by the Draft Board and the necessity of working “around the clock,” Alcoa found itself faced with a shortage of male employees.
Replacements of the
male gender were in general either too young or too old for Alcoa’s needs. While nimble fingers, good judgment and resilient stamina were in short supply in this case, women, young women, whose hearts would lend purpose to their work, were the solution. Carefully chosen, every female employed proved better or equal to a male.
Alcoa laboratory workers would have ordinarily been known as “The Filter Line,” but that name hardly described these female workers during the critical days of war. In Alcoa’s lab, it was an industrial line of battle wherein these ladies fought in unison with husbands, brothers and sweethearts serving in a far-flung battle front.
In another part of Bauxite, a busy scene of female volunteers were preparing Red Cross surgical dressings to meet the needs for our fighting forces. These volunteers met in a specially equipped room in the Bauxite Community Hall on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from
1:00 to 4:30 and on Monday nights from 7:00 to 9:30.
To guard against any possible infection of the bandages, the Red Cross required that all volunteer workers wear freshly laundered white dresses, keep their hair entirely covered and remove any traces of fingernail coatings. The only requirement to volunteer was to report at any work session and have a talk with the chairman of the project or the work supervisor. In one month the Red Cross volunteer ladies in Bauxite assembled 4,843 bandages.
Wives of drafted Alcoa workers often times filled their husbands’ vacancies at Alcoa during WWII.
Such was the case when Woodrow Mooney was called into the military service. Seo Avanalle Mooney was payroll clerk at the Drury Company Division, where she also managed the billing and shipping of milled bauxite ore. When it was known that Woodrow would be leaving, Seo became his understudy. During her full 21 months of service, Seo was not absent a day
Florence Barron is an excellent example of versatility and dependability of women in war time work. Florence was hired as a yard clerk for the Bauxite & Northern Railway Company (B&N). She was a former school teacher and for some time had felt that teaching was not exactly her preferred profession. When she learned that the B&N was
considering hiring women as yard clerks, she made application for the job.
Florence was hired on May 24, 1943 and first fell heir to the 12:00 midnight to 8:00 A.M. shift. A little apprehensive, she approached the job with trepidation. After a few days, however, she felt her fears were unfounded. Florence was soon transferred to the 8:00-4:00 shift where her duties involved checking both B&N and Rock Island Railroad yards, carding all in-bound and out-bound cars, and making a switch list.
This was not an easy job. From eight to ten miles on foot was covered daily by this lady. Florence never missed a day’s work and was truly an invaluable employee.
During World War II, many females worked as security guards for the ore processing plants in Bauxite. A tall “watch tower” was constructed near the B&N Railroad round house just outside the Bauxite ball field. This watch tower was a precautionary measure against possible espionage during the urgent demand for bauxite ore supply.
At the top of the tower was a platform where three extra large spotlights were mounted on the guard rail which stood around the platform edges. A ladder mounted inside the hollow metal tower was used to access the platform where a guard was stationed. Three shifts worked full time in the mining and shipping operation of bauxite
ore during World War
II.
Research for photos and information about the watch tower was not successful. All information obtained has been from the memories of men, who as “dare devil youngsters,” climbed to the top of the tower after World War
II. Hand drawn sketches have been made to explain the tower’s likeness. Any photographs or other information about the watch tower would be appreciated for display in the Bauxite Museum.
Let us remember Pearl Harbor Day and the four years following when our soldiers and their families continued to endure the trying times of war. Not only on the home front, but across the world, many suffered from this inexcusable, selfish act of war A tragedy that has affected lives around the world.
Remember Pearl Harbor this December 7 and give thanks for all of our military personnel and their families who continue to make many sacrifices for our country and for our freedom. It is a shame and very sad that our world cannot have peace on earth and good will towards all mankind.
These are Miner Memories and some of them are not so minor.