American Women's Voluntary Services

An American volunteer organization established in 1940, before the United States formally entered World War II, the A.W.V.S. was meant to provide auxiliary services for the homefront, such as ambulance and nursing assistance, firefighting, and emergency medical aid in the advent of ariel bombings. As this never materialized, the A.W.V.S. was focused more on fundraising, rationing, and organizational projects. Spanning the entire nation, the A.W.V.S had unique uniforms and insignia, that were factory-produced and distributed to individual chapters of the organization. The uniform in the possession of the Permanent Collection was produced in one of these factories, whose exact location, as well as the date of production, could not be ascertained.

Text Source:

Weatherford, Doris. American Women During World War II: An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge, 2010.

Image Source: 

Schiff, Bill. American Women's Voluntary Services members posed on steps, wearing various AWVS uniforms. Photograph. 1942. Reproduction Number LC-USZ62-111174. Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Accessed March 8, 2014. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/94505381/.