Shore salt: First Naval District Women's Reserve news monthly

              VOL. II, No. 5
FIRST NAVAL DISTRICT WOMEN'S RESERVE NEWS MONTHLY
May 15, 1944
What Well Dressed Waves
Wear for Summer in ComOne
by Mary Ann McClintock, Lieut,  (jg)
Now that we are in white tops again,
most WAVES are interested to know in
more detail just what we are required to
wear this summer. Of course only a few
are as eager to know as Lieut, (jg) Martha
Leys who literally lost all her shirts in a
laundry fire. At any rate most of the
gals will be glad to shed these shiny
serge jobs for the new grey and white
striped seersuckers.
The new summer working uniform of
course, consists of a well fitted dress shirtwaist style and a nicely tailored jacket
which may be removed while working.
With it are worn matching hat covers,
conservative black shoes, beige stockings,
and black gloves; the latter are optional.
We can wear the greys as soon as we
get them.   (Weather permitting.)
For economy's sake, the district is allowing WAVES to wear the Navy blue cotton uniforms of last year with short-
sleeved white shirts for work. With this
uniform, a white hat cover is to be worn.
WHITES  FOR  DRESS
"Whites"  are  the  same  as  last  year.
They're to be worn only for social and official occasions and with them the white
hat covers, white shoes, white gloves and
white bag covers are used.   New official
white pocketbooks will be for sale soon.
If there are still any hazy ideas as to
what a WAVE may wear glance at District Women's Reserve Circular Letter No.
1-44   issued   by   Lt.   Woodruff.   We   are
not reprinting any portion of the above
mentioned letter for fear that the result
may be something like the following that
the New Yorker produced a few months
ago—.   It ran like this:
"For other than formal occasions, all
officers shall wear undress caps with
polished black visors and black braid
chin straps, which is a modification
of the former rule requiring all officers
to wear polished chins with gold lace
straps and polished visors.   This does
not effect the wearing of garrison caps
with polished tops and gold lace insignia."
CONCERNING COLLAR BARS
One final word about those confusing
collar bars. From now on they are to be
worn only in three cases:
1. With summer greys. 2. With white
cotton working shirts. 3. With Navy blue
working shirts. Note well: Collar bars
are NEVER to be worn with reserve blue!
Enlisted girls have to watch out now
that when they take their jackets off in
the office they wear their rating insignia
on their sleeves.
Spar's Brandon Hall has a Ship's
Self-Sufficiency Recreation and
Living Conveniences
by Helen Gleason, Ens.
When yachts went to war and luxury liners grew into troop transports, many a
metropolitan hotel made its debut as a barracks, and such a barracks is the good ship
Brandon Hall, Brookline, Mass., residential center for the largest group of SPARS on
active duty in the First Naval District.
SPARS get their name from the U. S
Coast Guard motto, "Semper Paratus—
Always Prepared," a state of affairs well
exemplified by the Brandon Hall ship's
company, who maintain telephone watch,
fire watch, dispensary readiness, and serve
three meals a day on the dot, prepared by
SPAR graduates of the Cooks and Bakers
School at Palm Beach, Florida, and served
on the famed sectioned tray with which
all of us have struggled at one time or
another.
The first deck reception rooms stand
ready for visitors, the soft ball team or
bowling team welcome friendly challenges,
and if you drop by of a Tuesday evening
you may hear the choir practicing for a
radio program or church service.
Captain's Inspection comes once a week
but this is home to the girls, and the im
mortal feminine touch prevails in spite of
double deck bunks in quarters and C. P. O.
foot lockers, in the form of pin up boys
and pin back curtains.
Brandon Hall girls must be back at the
station at 0030 except for the one evening
a week, when they may have a late permit
until 0230. Then, too, one night a week
may be spent off the station if a girl
wishes to visit out of town.
The SPARS came into existence by act
of Congress on November 23,1942, at which
time about a hundred women transferred
from the WAVES to become the first
Coast Guard Women's Reservists. Today
under the direction of Captain Dorothy
Stratton, the SPARS stand 8000 strong
with a goal of 12,000 before the end of the
summer.
(Continued on page two)
Left to right:—(Seated front on davenport) Madeline Spelletich, Y3c, USNR, Davenport,
Iowa; Ardith Whitney, SR 3c, USCG, Marshall Minn.; Helen Market, HA lc, USNR,
Lancaster, Pa.; Anna K. Delfino, SR 3c, USCG, Columbus, Ohio; Loraine Everhard, Y3c,
USNR, Cincinnati, Ohio; Margaret Fisher Cox, USCG, Hyannis, Mass.
Official U. S. Navy Photograph