[ANON POST] American Women Enlisting in Canadian Women's Army Corps During WWII?

[orange_fell]

My story is set in New York City during the second World War. My main character is a Jewish woman who grew up in the city and is very passionate about the war effort, because she has relatives in Europe

Comments

[lilacsigil]

The CWAC didn't form until 1941 - before that there were thousands of women doing their own volunteer training in things like morse code and first aid in order to replace servicemen and to serve themselves. There's no reason why a US citizen couldn't go to Canada and work with volunteer women on the war effort, but it's not an official corps until the middle of 1941 which doesn't help your timeline much. Attempts were being made to form a women's army corps in the US, which came to a head during 1941, so your character might be involved in that, too.

American Women Enlisting in Canadian Women's Army Corps During WWII

[anonymous]

My mom joined the CWAC in 1942. She was 18 and too young for the US Army so she went to Vancouver and enlisted in the CWAC where they would take 18 year oldds.

Re: American Women Enlisting in Canadian Women's Army Corps During WWII

[anonymous]

Let me note that she was from Seattle and went to Vancouver BC to enlist.

[anonymous]

From the Wikipedia entry for Women in World War II:
Many women aged 16 or 17 lied about their age in order to enlist. The United States would only allow women to join that were at least twenty-one. For their young female citizens, Canada was the logical option. Recruitment for the different branches of the Canadian Forces was set up in places like Boston and New York. Modifications were made to girls with US citizenship, having their records marked, “Oath of allegiance not taken by virtue of being a citizen of The United States of America.”