📞 The “Hello Girls” of World War I: U.S. Army Signal Corps Telephone Operators

The “General Pershing Inspection" — at Which the Camera Caught the General Just as He Passed the Smiling Miss Erickson. Bell Telphone News, November 1919. | GGA Image ID # 19b1317822

🔑 Start Here: Who Were the Hello Girls?

The “Hello Girls” were America’s first female soldiers in uniformed communications. Trained by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, 223 bilingual telephone operators served overseas in France and Germany from 1918–1919. They handled thousands of calls a day, connecting commanders, relaying orders, and keeping Pershing’s American Expeditionary Forces moving.

Though essential to victory, they were denied veteran status for decades, sparking a long fight for recognition.

👉 Explore their story through rare photographs, military documents, personal letters, and their fight for justice.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The Units (1918–1919)

Each group had its own story — from the first 33 operators to the final detachment demobilized just before departure.

First Unit – Deployed March 1918, fluent in French and English.

Second Unit – Forty girls, many trained by Bell Telephone.

Third–Sixth Units – Sent to war zones near St. Mihiel, Toul, Souilly, Verdun.

Seventh Unit – Trained and ready, but canceled with the Armistice.

📸 Panoramic unit photographs capture their pride and camaraderie.

The First Unit of American Telephone Operators.

✉️ Personal Stories & Letters

Pulling from letters and diaries, these women left vivid records:

Adele Hoppock – University of Washington student to France, 1918.

Grace Banker – Chief Operator, awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

Elizabeth Horsman & Helen Carey – Letters describing Paris life near Wilson.

Cora Bartlett – The only Hello Girl given a military funeral in France.

💡 These firsthand voices are perfect for essays and genealogical research.

📰 In the Headlines

The press followed the Hello Girls closely, praising their skill and bravery:

“Blue Triangle Follows the Switchboard” – YWCA coverage of their work.

“Hello—Over There!” – Americans embrace women in France.

“Hello Heroines” (1920) – Early recognition of their wartime role.

⚖️ Recognition & Legacy

For decades, the U.S. denied these women veteran status. Their fight became as historic as their wartime service:

1977 Hearings – Affidavits from Alma Hawkins, Merle Egan Anderson, and others testified to their service.

2019 – Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act introduced in Congress.

Ongoing – Campaigns continue to honor their contribution to women’s military history.

📜 A story of service, silence, and recognition nearly a century late.

📸 Photo Gallery Highlights

Training in New York & Bell Telephone classrooms

Overseas operators at St. Mihiel and Souilly

Living quarters & Hostess Houses in France

Panoramic group portraits of the units

🎓 Why This Collection Matters

Teachers & Students – Use photographs, letters, and affidavits as primary sources.

Genealogists – Unit rosters and portraits may include ancestors.

Historians – Evidence of women’s integration into wartime service and their long campaign for recognition.

📘 Availability & Public Domain

Publisher: U.S. Army Signal Corps & private press, 1918–1919

Status: Public Domain

Surviving material found in military archives, private collections, and digitized repositories (HathiTrust, Internet Archive).

🔗 Explore More WWI Collections

Training Camps & Cantonments

Infantry Drill Regulations (1911)

Field Service Regulations (1914, corrected 1917)

Unit Histories (351st, 346th, 88th Division)