28/08/2026
We wanted to share one of our recent acquisitions, which came to us from the family of Dorothy Schwartz, a Women's Army Corps veteran. Sgt Schwartz landed in England in the summer of 1943 and was assigned to Ninth Air Force headquarters as a stenographer. Before travelling to her new posting in Essex, Dorothy spent time at a USAAF transit camp in Stone, Staffordshire. An estimated half a million Americans transited through Stone during the war, but Dorothy Schwartz was one of the first American servicewomen to set foot in the town. Her presence was of great interest to Edna Griffiths, a local widow who came across Dorothy and her friends while walking her dog. Having invited the new arrivals for tea, Edna wrote to Dorothy's parents to express her admiration for their daughter and to reassure them that she was safe and well. A correspondence followed between the Griffiths and Schwartz families, with Edna sharing her experiences of life in wartime Britain.
Edna also kept in touch with Dorothy, who transferred to France after D-Day. By September 1944, approximately 8,000 WACs were serving in the European theater. As a stenographer, Dorothy monitored high-level military phone calls and produced rapid, precise transcripts and bombing orders. On 30th April 1945 she was awarded the Bronze Star for her service. The citation commended her for her "unusual proficiency in organizing and directing the stenographic force of A-3, Headquarters, 9th Bombardment Division (M)."
This small bundle of letters offers a fascinating insight into Anglo-American relations in wartime from the perspective of a British housewife who experienced the 'Friendly Invasion' first hand. In Edna's words, "we simply must get to know each other - so much depends on America and England".
