Commissioned Corps Uniform
.
Before 1944, only very few women were accepted into the comissioned
corps. Therefore, most PHS female personnel wore civilian clothes. Only
the PHS nurses had a special outdoor uniform which consisted of a belted
jacket with skirt. The length of the skirt was shortened to follow civilian
fashion during the years.
.
PHS nurse wearing the prewar
outdoor uniform
(c. 1920)
|
.v |
Copyright Collection of
Shelby L. Stanton
.
|
.
| The uniform of the commissioned corps during
World War II complied with the uniform worn by United States Coast Guard
officers.
Thus, when female scientific personnel and
nurses were included to the commisioned corps in 1944, the uniforms became
identical to the SPARS (Women's Reserve of the Coast Guard) uniforms, except
that all insignia was distinctive to the PHS (buttons, cap device, collar
and lapel insignia, and appropriate emblem and insignia of grade on the
sleeves)
Since the SPARS uniform ensemble was itself
essentially identical to the Navy WAVES, the female PHS uniform was really
the same as either when adorned with PHS insignia and accessories. |
...v |
Superintendent of Nurses
Jesse MacFarland wearing the
Service Dress Blue uniform
(Courtesy of Dr. Alexandra Lord)
|
.
The commissioned corps uniform was worn by
all PHS officers throughout World War II, if they were not detailed to
armed services or other agencies that required the wear of Army-style uniforms.
PHS officers detailed to the Navy or Office of Naval Intelligence wore
the uniform of the commissioned corps.
.
Service Dress Blue
.
|
|
.... .v |
.
PHS Commissioned Corps Service Dress
Blue worn with matching garrison cap. The sleeve stripes and pin-on rank
insignia on the cap indicate the grade of senior assistant officer. |
.
The Service Dress Blue was worn with a white
shirt (short or long-sleeved), black SPARS tie, beige hose and black shoes
and white gloves for dress. The envelope-style black SPARS handbag with
shoulder straps were optional.
Detailed pictures of these accessories
can be found under : SPARS/UNIFORMS/MISCELLANEOUS
.
|
Distinctive PHS service
beret
The navy blue felt beret was
made by Knox Hat Company.
|
.v |
Garrison cap with PHN patch
indicating a Public Health Nurse.
|
.
Service Dress White
.
|
|
.v.. |
.
PHS Commissioned Corps Service Dress
White worn with matching garrison cap. The sleeve stripes and pin-on rank
insignia on the cap indicate the grade of assistant officer. |
.
The Service Dress White was worn with a white
shirt, black SPARS tie, beige hose and white shoes and white gloves. The
black SPARS handbag with white cloth cover (black straps had to be removed)
or a white handbag in the same style were optional. A distinctive white
felt beret in the same style as the one for the Service Dress Blue could
be worn instead of the white garrison cap.
.
Army-Style Uniform
.
During World War II, PHS officers were sometimes
detailed to the armed forces and other agencies. PHS officers detailed
to the Army, Army Air Forces, Office of Stategic Services, UN or international
(i.e., refugee and displaced persons) organizations and in certain other
categories (i.e., liaison duty) wore the proper Army-style uniform (that
is, nurses wore the Army Nurse Corps uniform and others wore the WAC uniform)
modified by substituting PHS buttons, cap device, collar and lapel insignia.
.
Army-Style Uniform for PHS Nurses
.
.
Army-Style Uniform for other PHS personnel
.
|
|
... |
.
The dark olive-drab service
jacket could be worn with a matching skirt or as shown in the picture on
the left side with a light shade olive-drab (pink) skirt. |
.
ETO Army-Style Uniform
.
|
|
.v |
.
Female Army Personnel serving in
the ETO were authorized to wear a battledress jacket with matching skirt
or trousers. PHS personnel wore the PHS collar insignia on the lapel instead
of the Army Corps branch devices. |
.
.
[ I. Development ]..[
II. Facts about the PHS ]..[
III. PHS Uniforms ]..[
IV. Sources ]
|
