Great Women During the War
During the Second World War, women experienced anxiety, fear, worry and loss, while holding on to hope.
They contributed to the war effort by working and by drawing upon their energy and skills to seize new opportunities and to successfully take on new responsibilities — often receiving little recognition in return.
They paved the way to profound social change.
This episode of Juno Beach and Beyond explores Great Women During the War, 1939-1945. This new temporary exhibition at the Juno Beach Centre was developed in partnership with the Canadian War Museum. The exhibition pays tribute to women — Canadian and European alike — in recognition of their courage and many unsung contributions during the war.
Flying Officer Dorothy Irene “Molly” Mulholland (far right) and her fellow RCAF nursing sisters in a field with poppies. The women served with No. 2 Field Hospital, supporting the 2nd Tactical Air Force in Normandy and Northwest Europe.
Time Stamps
5:20 Exhibit Origins
7:00 Big Ideas
9:00 Cosmopolitan Women
13:02 Stories that Resonate
20:15 Restrictions and Challenges
21:48 The War’s Legacy
26:22 Outstanding Artifacts
30:42 Behind the Scenes
Guest Biography
Marie Eve Vaillancourt is Exhibitions and Development Manager at the Juno Beach Centre Association. Previously, she worked at the Juno Beach Centre in France as History Department Manager. She worked closely with the team at the Canadian War Museum to make Great Women During the War a reality.
Britt Braaten is a Creative Development Specialist at the Canadian War Museum. Britt and her team helped transform the Canadian War Museum’s World War Women exhibition into Great Women During the War for the Juno Beach Centre.
Notes
The following links offer more information on the topics discussed in this episode:
Podcasts
Bomb Girls with Barbara Dickson
Events
The Liberation of the Netherlands and the Capitulation of Germany
Weapons & Formations
The Canadian Women’s Army Corps
Men and Women of the Royal Canadian Navy
The Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division
People
Credits
Juno Beach & Beyond is hosted and edited by Alex Fitzgerald-Black, the centre’s Digital Projects Coordinator.
Mackenzie King’s speech to British Parliament from the British Pathé YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SlEvclY5LE&t=48s
Artillery firing sounds from the CBC News: The National YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsCSQ4uWR1Y
Female veteran’s voice (Eileen Green, née Short) Courtesy of The Memory Project, Historica Canada: http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/383:eileen-green-nee-short/
Winston Churchill’s “Finest Hour” speech from Jonathan Thomas’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB5wZtV1MWM
Spitfire sound effect from Jason Kirby’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgZI4tAoMN0
Dramatic Interlude by Alexander Nakarada | https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Dispatches from Juno shares all the news, events, and stories from the Juno Beach Centre in France and Canada. Interested in contributing a story to the blog? Email the editor at jbca@junobeach.org.
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