World War I opens opportunity for women workers at RIA

Photo By Sarah Ridenour | Although women were not allowed to fight during this war, many women at RIA put their lives on the line by working one of the most dangerous jobs at the arsenal, filling the 155mm shells and setting fuses in building 250.  

IL, UNITED STATES

03.25.2022

Story by Sarah Ridenour  

U.S. Army Sustainment Command

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. — During Women’s History Month, inspirational women such as Harriet Tubman or Susan B. Anthony are often remembered, but it is also important to recognize women closer to home who helped pave the way for future female employees here at RIA.

During World War I, women from Rock Island and Moline, Illinois, Davenport, Iowa, and the surrounding areas, were hired in large numbers at RIA for the first time, in order to support the war efforts. As men were deploying to fight the war, women stepped in to take their place at the arsenal, reaching a peak of 1,400 female employees.

This was the first time that women held prominent roles at RIA. They initially held positions such as office workers, typists, and stenographers. As the war effort grew and needs increased though, women began taking on more technical jobs in the artillery, ammunition and clothing shops.

“Rock Island Arsenal was one of many arsenals that experimented early in the war with expanding the female workforce outside of clerical jobs,” explained Kevin Braafladt, U.S. Army Sustainment Command historian. “This was due to a fear of a shortage of male workers as a cause of the expanding war.”

Although women were not allowed to fight during this war, many women at RIA put their lives on the line by working one of the most dangerous jobs at the arsenal, filling the 155mm shells and setting fuses in building 250.

These were considered highly dangerous positions, so women were required to adhere to the safety dress code.

“All girls working in shop buildings, whether skilled laborers or skilled office laborers, must provide themselves with uniforms within 30 days after date of employment. Girls working at machines or near dangerous machinery will wear the bloomer uniform,” stated RIA Commanding Officer Col. Leroy T. Hillman, as reported in a 1918 issue of The Arsenal Record, the installation newspaper, accessed through the RIA archive.

Cora De Wilfond is an example of a particularly influential woman, a trailblazer for female employees working in previously male-only jobs.

De Wilfond was the first woman employed at RIA to be permitted to drive a motorcycle in order to make quick deliveries around the island. Prior to this, De Wilfond used roller skates to make deliveries.

Nellie Cue is another example of women breaking boundaries, as she became the first forelady at RIA. She supervised about 350 female employees in the cloth department of the harness shop.

Through this role, Cue was able to pave the way for the following generations on the island, with Beatrice Campbell becoming forelady at the ammunition loading plant not long after Cue.

As WWI came to an end, the workforce at RIA was minimized, and women were the first to be let go. Despite this setback, the percentage of female workers at RIA never decreased to as low as it was before the war. They maintained a role in at least 10% of the total workforce.

The work these women did at RIA had a permanent impact on the demographics of the American workforce.

“Their labor proved that women were an effective workforce in all jobs on the Arsenal,” Braafladt said. “These beliefs would start to slowly spread off U.S. Arsenals and war industries following WWI, leading the charge for equal worker rights and rights in general for women.”

• Date Taken: 03.25.2022
• Date Posted: 03.25.2022 15:23
• Story ID: 417193
• Location: IL, US