I am the 16 year-old in the cowboy hat. I am in the company of a bevy of "Rosies" working on building wings for the B-17s in building 12 at Douglas Aircraft.
These gals were really proficient in their work and the "jigs" moved on schedule every time, unless there was some major problem. The girls were hard to control with the visit by the First Sergeant, a member of a B-17 crew making a Bond Drive visit who told us stories of combat and how proud B-17 crews were of our "Birds."
This picture was taken in July of 1944. My mother, Nora Bays, was working in Building 4 making cowlings for the C-45 / DC-3s on the swing shift with me, and my cousin Ray Bays was on the day shift installing armor on tail-gunner units across the isle from the wing "jigs" in Building 12. My Dad, Richard Bays, was a security officer for the Long Beach Airport during the war.
The term Rosies derived from, Rosie the Riveter, a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom worked in the manufacturing plants that produced munitions and materiel. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military. The character is considered a feminist icon in the US.
These gals were really proficient in their work and the "jigs" moved on schedule every time, unless there was some major problem. The girls were hard to control with the visit by the First Sergeant, a member of a B-17 crew making a Bond Drive visit who told us stories of combat and how proud B-17 crews were of our "Birds."
This picture was taken in July of 1944. My mother, Nora Bays, was working in Building 4 making cowlings for the C-45 / DC-3s on the swing shift with me, and my cousin Ray Bays was on the day shift installing armor on tail-gunner units across the isle from the wing "jigs" in Building 12. My Dad, Richard Bays, was a security officer for the Long Beach Airport during the war.
The term Rosies derived from, Rosie the Riveter, a cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom worked in the manufacturing plants that produced munitions and materiel. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military. The character is considered a feminist icon in the US.
Submitted by Jim Bays, Sr.
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