Suiting Up

This older woman looks quite serious in her uniform, but what organization does she belong to?  I thought at first that the triangle insignia represented a position in civilian defense, but quick research showed that those triangles go the other way around, with the tip pointing up. Perhaps she had a special position in some factory that designed its own armbands.  Surely she hadn’t put it on upside down.

Vogue Pattern, 1940. Via Vintage Patterns

The jumpsuit, also called a siren suit or boiler suit, looks like something from the Second World War.  If so, it is yet more evidence that older women were heavily involved in the war effort. Note that the suit doesn’t fit her very well—tight around the middle and too long in the arms and legs.  Couldn’t she have tripped on those long pant legs if she had to make a run for it?

Please send your thoughts about this what the armband represents.

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2 Responses to Suiting Up

    • Lynn says:

      Thanks! But I’m puzzled that this Civil Defense badge has the large side of the triangle up, while all the others I have seen go the other way. Maybe a different division?

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