Interview of Elizabeth Phillips on her service in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps in Europe during WWI Elizabeth Phillips: [Inaudible 00:04] was here. But, I would like to go? Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And I said yes sir indeed and I jumped out of bed, got myself clothed and, um, gathered enough things together and at that time the girl who was giving me the anesthetics was with us and so she went too and we went down to our nurses, uh, office and she had breakfast there ready for us and he had a beautiful [inaudible 00:42] car that we drove in all the way to the front. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. [00:47] And where was this? Elizabeth Phillips: This was at [inaudible 00:49] on the, Channel, English Channel. Interviewer: Right. Elizabeth Phillips: And we drove, uh, up and on the way, we stopped and, uh, got ourselves tin hats out of a [inaudible 01:02]. They called them dumps. And this big pile of tin hats, I found a French, uh, uh, you know. Interviewer: Helmets. [01:17] Were they helmets? Elizabeth Phillips: Um, a helmet. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: A French helmet that fitted my head and, uh, the other, uh, nurse found one too and then we drove on again and all the people were coming down from this big city that we were headed for called Avignon. Interviewer: Avignon. Elizabeth Phillips: And, um, they were walking in the gutters and the, the highway had in and out, you know. And just crowded with, with ambulances and all kinds of vehicles. Interviewer: [01:56] Well what were responsibilities and how much training did you have? Elizabeth Phillips: Well I was a regular, a registered nurse. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: Operating room nurse and that’s what I was gonna do when we got up to the front. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: You see, when, and, when we got there, why, um, I went on duty right away and had a table in this large room that, had, um, building that was, um, recently completed by the French for an insane asylum. So all the doors locked when you went out of them so we had to have, uh, a brick so that Ms. [Keller 02:34] and I had a room and there was great activity in and out. We were 5 miles behind the front. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And every night the German war planes were flying over and bombing Paris. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth: And, uh, we’d see 18 fly over every night and we worked, uh, on one of these operating tables on the wounded that were coming right from the front to the first station that they got to was our place and they were given the first treatment there. It was day and night service. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And, uh… Interviewer: [03:16] Did you get much sleep? Elizabeth Phillips: Not much. And when we had a chance to sleep, we had to put the brick in our door, uh, somebody might get in and shut the door and we couldn’t get out because it was a modern building, great big beautiful place, that had just recently been completed for the insane and mentally ill people. And it was right outside of the city of, uh, uh, Avignon, 7 miles. So in the meanwhile, there was a mix up and we shouldn’t ever have been there because already we had a unit at the front but I wasn’t with that. And, uh, when this doctor came down from the front and asked for a team why we would, we went with no authority to do it you see. So they were looking for [inaudible 04:18] and finally located this was where we were and we were told to return to our base. [Laughter] Interviewer: [04:28] So did you work mostly with men then? Elizabeth Phillips: What? Interviewer: [04:31] Did you work mostly with men or with women? Elizabeth Phillips: When I was at the front? Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: Yes. That was, I worked that, that doctor who came and got us. We were the team. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And I worked with him all the time. And then when I went back to our, uh, we had to drive up to Paris and then go down the [inaudible 04:52] and when I got back to [inaudible 04:56] why I was in charge of, uh, of a ward of 130 patients. And, um, and then I was transferred from that ward to a, a, uh, those were several convalescents. And not many bed patients. But we changed every 2 weeks. And, uh, very active. And then I was transferred from that ward to, uh, an operating room surgical ward and then came the awful, uh, flu epidemic. And I don’t know if you ever heard how, they died like flies. The men on the steamers going over died like flies. The flu epidemic in 1918 was, uh, throughout our whole country. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Yeah, I recall. Just, just barely. Elizabeth Phillips: Yes. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: Well, uh, … Interviewer: [05:58] Did that affect you at all? Did, were there inoculations? Elizabeth Phillips: Yeah. Why of course. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: We would take, have a funeral every afternoon and 4 and 5 ambulances 4 boys dead and each ambulance taken’ up to the little local cemetery and there a service was held and we would have to go as escort, you know. And, uh… Interviewer: [06:30] To escort the ambulance? Elizabeth Phillips: And the 4, the ambulance, they would have a little service in the local cemetery and then they had the bugle play Taps and the French people came and joined us in the service and our, we had, uh, what do you call it, he wasn’t a priest but he was a pastor. Interviewer: [07:07] A chaplain? Elizabeth Phillips: A chaplain. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And he would conduct the service. That was a harrowing experience. Interviewer: [07:16] Was that the most frightening experience for you? Elizabeth Phillips: What? Interviewer: [07:18] Was that the most frightening experience for you? Elizabeth Phillips: Oh no. When I was right there at the front it was frightening because they were bombing over our heads all the time. Interviewer: Mm-hm. [07:26] Well what were you thinking during all that time? I know you… Elizabeth Phillips: I didn’t have time to think but to do my job. Interviewer: Right. Right. Elizabeth Phillips: And, uh, worked. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. [07:38] Well how did the men respond to you as a woman in the service? As a nurse? Elizabeth Phillips: Oh, no trouble. The men, our corpsmen? Interviewer: Yes. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: No trouble at all. No but I know that other units did have troubles because the nurses were not organized at that time. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And we had no rank when I was in the army. No rank. And they have a big, they had, uh, in Washington, a, a book about that [inaudible 08:07] called the Army Manual. And in only 2 place, one place in that big Army Manual were the nurses even mentioned and they mentioned nurses and [pet dogs 08:17] and that’s all. Interviewer: [08:19] In the same category? Elizabeth Phillips: Yeah. [Chuckle] Yes. And then when the war was over we came back. The nurses on the Atlantic, thousands of us went to Washington and we went through Congress, the House and the Senate like a hive of bees reorganizing the Army Manual and we said to those congressmen the nurses want rank. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: We have to have rank in order to control conditions in the wards. And, um, oh it was like drawing teeth. They didn’t want to do anything for women in those days and, uh, we gave us what they call relative rank. Interviewer: Mm-hm. [09:12] Which was? Elizabeth Phillips: Which was relative rank. It wasn’t equal. When World War II came along, we went to Washington again and all the nurses organized on the Atlantic Coast went into Washington again and said see now we want equal rights for nurses in the army. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: We are in charge of the wards, not the corpsmen, and, uh, sergeants or any, we, the nurses are in charge. The we got it from Congress so then we got equal rank and when the nurses came into the army in World War II they were lieutenants and so forth and rose up and now we have people in Washington, D.C., a general. I don’t know her name. She’s a new one. But the nurses in the army now everywhere in army hos, and navy hospitals all have rank. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. [10:14] And that occurred after World War II then? That occurred after World War II? Elizabeth Phillips: Yes. It was in World War II that we got equal rank. Interviewer: [10:24] What did you enjoy most about your work? Elizabeth Phillips: Oh. [Inaudible 10:28]. [Laughter] Elizabeth Phillips: I, I liked the work that I was doing ‘cause I felt I was useful and needed. And I liked doing it. Interviewer: Mm-hm. [10:47] When exactly was that? Elizabeth Phillips: What? Interviewer: [10:49] What was the most significant part of that for you? Was it talking with the soldiers, with the GIs? Elizabeth Phillips: Oh no. [Inaudible 10:55] with regular nursing. I was in charge of a ward and, uh, then that experience of being at the surgical table when I was up at the front and, uh, that was all meant a great deal to me. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. [11:16] What did you like least? Elizabeth Phillips: What? Oh, I can’t tell you what I liked least. Interviewer: [11:21] Why not? [Laughter] Elizabeth Phillips: Well I don’t know anything that I took. I’m not that kind of a person to take likes and dislikes. Interviewer: [11:29] Really? Elizabeth Phillips: No. Interviewer: You just feel you have to do what you have to do. [11:32] Is that correct? Elizabeth Phillips: Yes. I had a duty to do and, uh, I was regimented and had to, uh, do as I was told. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: But, at that time, we were so thankful that we could do something and be of use. Then it wasn’t a personal thing at all. Look at all the things I got for my birthday. These are for my birthday yesterday. Interviewer: Yes, I heard. Happy birthday. Elizabeth Phillips: 98. This and that one up there. Interviewer: Excellent. They’re beautiful. Elizabeth Phillips: And all these white flowers. Interviewer: They’re beautiful. Elizabeth Phillips: Yeah. Interviewer: It’s, you must be commended for what you’ve done. Elizabeth Phillips: I don’t know. [Laughter] Elizabeth Phillips: I’m a very modest person. I, I don’t go around blowing my horn or anything like that. But people have been very kind to me. Is this all going on tape? Oh gosh. [Laughter] Interviewer: Well since you mentioned regimentation, that’s my next question. [12:29] How did you adapt to regimentation? Was it difficult adapting at all? Elizabeth Phillips: No. Interviewer: No? Elizabeth Phillips: No. Interviewer: No. Elizabeth Phillips: No, we were working hard for our country. I forgot about myself. I didn’t worry. I wanted to do my job. Interviewer: Mm-hm. [12:50] So that was most important to you? Is to do your job. Elizabeth Phillips: Oh yeah. Interviewer: Mm-hm. [12:55] Were you ever married? Elizabeth Phillips: No. Interviewer: No. [12:59] May I ask why? I know that’s personal but may I ask why. Elizabeth Phillips: I’ll tell you a story. I had a family that and this Irishman was president of one of the banks in New York and he liked, he often tease and he used to tease me and he would say Ms. by choice I hope. [Chuckle]. I was Ms. by choice. Interviewer: By choice. Elizabeth Phillips: Yes. Interviewer: [13:31] So it was your choice then? Elizabeth Phillips: It was my choice. Yes. Interviewer: [13:34] Was it because of your dedication to the service? Elizabeth Phillips: No, not necessarily. I just didn’t wanna get married I guess. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: Mm-hm. Those personal questions they shouldn’t ask anyway. Interviewer: [Laughter] Well, well I, I’m concerned about… Elizabeth Phillips: Who, uh, can we turn this off for a minute? The Presbyterian Hospital Unit of New York City in which I was, uh, a nurse overseas, sailed on the 14th of May, 1917 and we were in France on the 30th of May and at that time no provision had been made by the US Army to feed the nurses. Fortunately, our commanding officer had taken along 8 thousand dollars which had been given him for any emergency that would arise and the welfare of the nurses. Immediately our commanding officer who was a colonel surgeon, Dr. [inaudible 14:51], he saw to it that we could have something to eat but for 3 days we lived on British rations that were left over from the, the British, uh, nursing corps that had moved out from this hospital and we had tea and, um, … Interviewer: Crumpets. Elizabeth Phillips: … canned salmon and bread. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And our commanding officer then immediately began spending the money to get food for us and eventually the army did take on the responsibility of feeding the nurses. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. That’s incredible isn’t it? [Laughter] Elizabeth Phillips: Do you like that for the story? Interviewer: Yes. It’s very good. Thank you. [Chuckle] Elizabeth Phillips: Yeah. Interviewer: [15:39] How do you think the, being in the service as, as a nurse, how did that affect your self-image? How did you see yourself when you were over there? Elizabeth Phillips: I was glad that I had something to contribute for my country. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. That’s excellent. I know you mentioned to me, um, earlier that you were on the front line. Elizabeth Phillips: What? Interviewer: You were on the front line. You mentioned that to me earlier. Elizabeth Phillips: Right behind the front line. Interviewer: Right. Right behind the front line. So I’m sure you were in a life or death situation. [16:17] But have you ever considered, um, could you ever kill for your country? Elizabeth Phillips: [Inaudible 16:23] Interviewer: [16:24] Could you ever kill for your country in a life and death situation? Could you ever do that? Elizabeth Phillips: Why, of course not. Interviewer: No? Elizabeth Phillips: I wouldn’t be called upon to do anything like that. I don’t understand that question. Interviewer: Well there are some women… Elizabeth Phillips: Who made these questions up? Interviewer: Well, there are some women who are in that situation where they could and can go into combat. Um, and I know throughout history a lot of those women have been ignored, um, but there are, there can be a situation where you have to, to fight for your own life. And I was just concerned that since you did serve perhaps, um, if you were to join today that you could possibly kill for your country. It’s just a question. Just a philosophical question more or less and I was just curious whether you could or not. Elizabeth Phillips: Too old. [Laughter] Elizabeth Phillips: 98. Interviewer: [17:19] Well do you think you could when you served in the first World War. Elizabeth Phillips: If anything, if anything happened, uh, for instance if we had an earthquake here and I could help, regardless I would help if I was able. Yes. Of course. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Okay. I know that you have just numerous stories about your experiences overseas and [17:52] can you give us some, some examples or anecdotes of some of the funny things that happened to you while you were there? Elizabeth Phillips: I know, uh, I can’t think of them right now. Oh, I have to have a preamble. Interviewer: Okay. Elizabeth Phillips: In 1917, active and on the front, um, held up for the American Army to get over there and fight. But we had, uh, still many convalescents and on my ward, I had, uh, 137 or 8 beds and many of those patients were ambulatory and wore the convalescent hospital uniform of blue cotton flannel pants and, and white [inaudible 19:06] flannel jackets. And the Aussies and the [inaudible 19:12], the Scotch boys they’re pretty lively young men. And the, uh, priest that we had would take them for long walks and they never came back empty-handed. They would steal the chickens right off the farms [laughter], wring their necks, put them under their coats and when they came back from these walks of 15 to 20 miles they always had something for me. [Laughter] So then we’d have to see about getting those chickens plucked and cooked for them. Interviewer: [Laughter] Oh that’s really very good. All while the priest was walking with them, right? Elizabeth Phillips: Yes, and the priest he couldn’t control them. And then eventually those priests were superseded by men who understood men and they got men who had been in this country selling tobacco. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And cigarettes. And they understood, uh, better the young men who in the army and so that, uh, the discipline was better. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: When they went on their walks. But apples, they’d bring back anything they could steal from these farms. [Laughter] Ran – they don’t call them ranches and they don’t call them farms. I guess they call them farms. And, uh… Interviewer: [20:53] Did you keep a diary while you were there? Elizabeth Phillips: No, I was, we all had 12-hour duty and we’d go on at 7 o’clock in the morning and come off at 7 o’clock in the evening. And if we had a moment we could go back to our quarters at 5 o’clock in the afternoon and have a cup of tea and then go back to the ward and serve the meals and put the patients to bed. But, uh, that was when I was at base hospital number 2. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And, uh, that was 12-hour duty every day of the week. Sunday’s included and, um, … Interviewer: [21:39] What did you do in your free time? Any free time that you had. Elizabeth Phillips: Maybe walk around the little town. Make friends with the, uh, local French people and, uh, they would give me beautiful bouquets of flowers for my room out of their gardens and, um, we would take them things to eat. They were short rationed. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: The local people were and, uh, if we had anything that we could spare we would sneak it down and take it to them. [Chuckle] And, uh, sometimes we would go to the French church for Sunday meals, Sunday service. Uh, if we had any time off we might ride into, in an ambulance, the city of [Mohave 23:07] 20 miles away and, uh, see some Americans there and they would spoil us by giving us a big dinner to eat. Interviewer: Oh, really. [Laughter] Interviewer: [23:19] Did religion play an important part in your life? Elizabeth Phillips: What? Interviewer: [23:22] Did religion play an important part in your life? Elizabeth Phillips: Religion? Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: Well I’ve always pretended to be a good church woman. Interviewer: [23:29] Is that Catholic or Protestant? Elizabeth Phillips: I’m Episcopalian. Interviewer: Episcopalian. Elizabeth Phillips: Yeah. And, uh, is this on tape? Interviewer: [23:45] Well what’s, do you have a philosophy of life then? Do you have, um, a world view. How do you see yourself and your purpose? Elizabeth Phillips: In the world view? Interviewer: Mm-hm. [23:59] How do you see yourself? Elizabeth Phillips: I’m a very, I’m a very uh, patriotic person and I’m a republican and, uh, since I retired I’ve become very, uh, conversant with activities in Washington, D.C. and have through magazines. But now I can’t read them anymore. I have to use a magnifying glass for reading and I read, uh, big print books. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: But, uh, I had to give up U.S. News & World Report and, uh, uh, 2 other republican magazines or papers you might call them. And, uh, can’t remember what the names were but I kept the U.S. News & World Report. Interviewer: [24:59] Do you have a philosophy of life though? How do you see your role in the world or your purpose in the world? Elizabeth Phillips: [Inaudible 25:05] Interviewer: [25:05] How do you see your role or purpose in the world? Do you have a philosophy of life? Elizabeth Phillips: Is this on tape? I think as I’ve gotten old I’ve become more tolerant of people. Not so critical and more inclined to, uh, forgive. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. [25:35] If you were to pick, uh, a time in your life that was really significant throughout your entire life, a period of time that was most significant to you that perhaps changed, was a turning point for you or changed your view of yourself for the world, what time would that be? The last 10 years? The last 20 years? The last 40 years? Elizabeth Phillips: Well, after seeing the misery and hardship that was everywhere around us during World War I overseas experience, I never wanted to see a country in the war again. And when World War II came along I tried to get in some branch of service. I ran up against the statement, oh yes, we’ll take you but not just yet. One of these [inaudible 27:09] anyway I didn’t have a chance to do anything till all of a sudden I went up to, went up to [inaudible 27:21] and my mother and sister was living, were living, and my sister said to me Mr. [Logan 27:33] an Englishman who lived there in [inaudible 27:38] has had a letter from, uh, a nephew he has never seen who’s a POW and of the Germans and is in a camp in, in Germany. And I said I’m going right over to see it. I went over and saw the letter and I said to Mr. [Logan 27:58] let me have that. I was on duty at that time in a public health job that was from 3 o’clock until 11 o’clock at night. And, uh, I came back to the city and went right to the Red Cross the next morning before I went to work and I said what, I’ve got, here’s this letter I have. What can I do to help? And, uh, the Red Cross woman said we have parcels of food already made up that can be sent to the POWs in Germany or anywhere and, uh, I said can I make them up myself [inaudible 28:48] and she said yes. The Red Cross said yes and gave me the directions, 2 pages, and I went home and read them. Went out and I bought enough to fill 4 boxes and they went for free and in each box I put something significant like a fountain pen or a picture or a little book, story, and I wrote a letter to this young man named [Moon 29:20] who’s a POW and it went to the Red Cross in, uh, Switzerland and he got the boxes and in my letter to him I said, uh, what did you find in your box that you couldn’t eat? Write and tell me. So all those 4 boxes divided with his friends and I got word from them they got the pen and they got the little storybook then I knew for sure that they had gotten the boxes of food. Interviewer: That’s right. Elizabeth Phillips: Which was what happened. So then through the Red Cross and, uh, newspaper articles in the papers, The Examiner, The Chronicle right here they wrote up the story of what I was doing and people began calling me up. I wanna help. How can I help? And I had it all typed out for them. How they could pack boxes and send them, tie them 4 ways on 4 sides. One of the requisitions of the government. Special box. Special size. And, uh… Interviewer: And you just thought of that on your own? Elizabeth Phillips: Yes. And I kept it up for 2 years. And I went to work all the time. Interviewer: That’s incredible. Elizabeth Phillips: And I had all that, uh, correspondence with the, they had in a magazine called POWs. It was published in, uh, Scotland. One of these POWs wrote home to Scotland and told about an English woman, an American woman was sending these parcels of food in the camp. And that was written up in the POW magazine and that magazine was the only piece of, that I knew about, that went to the prisoners of war in, in, uh, Germany and so the English people began writing to me, I have a son in this camp. I have a son in another camp. Can you send them any food? They’re hungry. So I got people to help me. Interviewer: Wonderful. Elizabeth Phillips: And I had people from the Atlantic to the Pacific on my lists sending food and we did it for 2 years and then American Red Cross and army took it up in a big way and they would send carloads with the boxes already fixed and I got word from Washington, D.C. to stop. You’re not permitted to do this anymore and I wrote to everybody, congressmen that I knew. Interviewer: [32:28] Did they give you a reason? Elizabeth Phillips: And I wrote to Ms. Roosevelt, Anna Roosevelt. Isn’t that her name? Interviewer: Mm-hm. Eleanor, right? Elizabeth Phillips: Eleanor. Interviewer: [32:37] Did they give you any reason? Elizabeth Phillips: Yes, the reason was that the government was doing in a big way and they were just supersede, taken over my work. [Laughter] Elizabeth Phillips: So I, and Ms. Roosevelt wrote back the letter that she wrote back to me is up in the Eisenhower Museum with all that stuff, all the records that I kept and all the letters that I had from the POWs and from the families in Great Britain and in this country. People right around [inaudible 33:13], down the peninsula, wrote to me how come I sent something to my son or my brother and I would tell them well that my contact all stopped because of the, and it was right in a way ‘cause they superseded and did it in a big way. And sent the, uh, food. Then 6 months later I had a letter from the Board of Economic Warfare in Washington, D.C., if you still have your lists of the POWs that you send food to you may be permitted to send them books. And they, if you send any books, you have to do it under our direction. Okay. They have to be, um, tied the same way and books of, of a… Interviewer: [34:24] Where did you get the lists of POWs and how did you get the food to Germany? Elizabeth Phillips: I think I told you about, uh, going to [inaudible 34:34] one day and getting the list of a POW from his uncle who was a neighbor of ours and then, did I give you the story of going to the Red Cross? I went right to the Red Cross that night. At that time, I was working in a large factory evening hours. So I had time in the day to do things and I was working, uh, from 3 in the afternoon until 11 at night over in, uh, Oakland. I drive there from San Francisco. And then the rest of the day I could devote to all this work that I suddenly got into, getting parcels promised to me through the Red Cross to go to Germany. Interviewer: [35:38] And where did those parcels go to? Elizabeth Phillips: Hmm? Interviewer: When you addressed them. [35:41] Where did those parcels go? Elizabeth Phillips: Oh, I went to, when I, came, heard from, got the letter and went to the Red Cross in, um, San Francisco on my way home that morning and they told me that they had parcels already prepared to go for $2.40 a piece. And I said well could I send parcels myself. They said yes. And we will give you the directions. So I went back and I bought enough stuff and filled 4 boxes. And I sent the 4 boxes over. I wrote to this boy, [inaudible 36:23] and sent him 4 boxes. And in each box was something significant. I had, uh, from that time on after I sent the first 4 boxes the story was written in a Scotch magazine that was allowed in the camps called POWs. There was a little story about an Englishwoman living in California named [Elsa 37:03] Phillips who’s sending them parcels of food. And the little article thanked me for doing it. Those little magazines went into the camp so the only literature that was allowed by the Germans in the POW camps. And with that I had a flood of letters asking please send me some food. And I would save these letters from the POWs that were only allowed 2 postal cards and 2 letters, formed letters, a month for them to write home. They were very precious to them but they would spend one of those, send me a postal card asking if I could, see that they got some food. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. I’m sure you made plenty of friends, uh, while you were overseas. Elizabeth Phillips: Yes, I did. And I kept in touch with them but they’re all gone now but me. Myself. I’m the last member of my unit that went to France. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And, uh, all of the people that I took my training with to be a nurse have passed away. I’ve lived too long. Interviewer: [Chuckle] No. No. You don’t look a day over 75. [Chuckle] Elizabeth Phillips: Well, uh. Interviewer: [38:44] So what does that feel like to you? Elizabeth Phillips: I feel very grateful. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: I can’t do much anymore. Interviewer: But you have glorious memories. Elizabeth Phillips: But, well I, of course I have the memories. I came from a big family, 4 sisters and 2 brothers, all grew up to die in their 80s and 90s. Interviewer: Mm-hm. [39:19] Anyone living? Elizabeth Phillips: No, they’re all gone. And, uh, my mother lived to be 95. My father was a graduate of Columbia University in New York City and was an attorney and an athlete. There he is there. And he died at 40 years of age because of a heart condition that they didn’t know how to take care of in those days. He would have lived longer if they’d known what they know now. But he left my mother with 7, 8, 7 children [inaudible 39:58]. We all lived useful lives. But all are gone now. I’m the last one. Interviewer: You mentioned after the war, after the first World War that you worked in a factory. [40:12] Where was that? Elizabeth Phillips: Oh, after the first World War I, went to Wyoming and I was on a dude ranch and in a boys boarding school for 11 years. Interviewer: [40:29] What were you doing? Elizabeth Phillips: I was a nurse and it was a school for boys in the wintertime and a dude ranch for guests in the summertime and I was the assistant manager and the, uh, we were 40 miles from up town and, uh, I took care of sick people on the river. They would ride horseback down or up which ever way they were [inaudible 41:00] and, uh, we were at the end of the telephone line, 40 miles, 2 miles from town. The town of Cody, Wyoming. And [inaudible 41:13] down there. We were on a ranch line. [Inaudible 41:21] call was 2 shorts and 4 long and whenever the other people on the line would hear that click they all listened to what was going on at the dude ranch. [Laughter] Elizabeth Phillips: And we could hear them, uh, answering. So, uh. Interviewer: So this was a resort then during the summer? [41:49] Is that what it was? A resort during the summer? The ranch. Elizabeth Phillips: Was it what? Interviewer: Resort during the summer? Elizabeth Phillips: What’s that word? Interviewer: A resort. A place where people go. Elizabeth Phillips: A resort for dude people. A dude ranch in the summertime. And we would have, yes, we had cottages all through the woods and, uh, near the river, beautiful grove. And, um, it was very expensive for these people. Most people came from outside of Chicago or New York City and the suburbs of Boston. And my boss was a, uh, are you taking this down? My boss was a, um, Princeton man and he would go back east and visit 2 or 3 cities and line up dudes for the summer and boys who’d been kicked out of some good schools in the east, [throat clearing], were our first school boys and they each had their own horse and we had 4 masters to teach them and college board examinations were given for them in the spring and everything was going along well and then came the crash. What year was that? Interviewer: ’29. Elizabeth Phillips: Yes, big crash of ’29. Um, big project was overextended financially. Absolutely. I think it’s being misunderstood in places and badly handled but in the long run it will come and get straightened out. Don’t you think? Interviewer: Mm-hm. I agree. [43:56] Did you experience any discrimination when you were, um, serving? Elizabeth Phillips: No. Interviewer: No. Elizabeth Phillips: We’d had, with us when I was in France we had medical students from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. They volunteered immediately and so our corpsmen were mostly intelligent… Interviewer: Professionals. Right? Elizabeth Phillips: Not, uh, doctors, young men training to be doctors. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: And had volunteered to help in any capacity to get overseas and work. And they did the call work. We had a young man named, uh, [Draper 44:44]. His brother was on our unit as a doctor but he was just a call man. And he had a beautiful tenor voice and he would sing for any parties that we had, he would sing, and, uh, one thing that was funny that happened. He and 2 or 3 other boys were on this ward, not my ward but on another ward, in the casino of the town that had been turned into a hospital. They made up a story themselves and called it the bedpan parade. [Laughter] Elizabeth Phillips: And they came on in the afternoon and they put on a show and they carried the canvas cover for the bedpan on their arms and the bedpans in their hands and got up on the stage in the casino and put on a show for the sick patients in the beds. Interviewer: Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Elizabeth Phillips: I didn’t see it. But I heard about it because I was not in that ward. But it was hilarious. And all of those were highly, uh, uh, trained intelligent men preparing to be doctors at the medical school in New York City but had gotten on the unit as volunteers to do anything and did anything. That was a funny story for you. Do you want to, do you like that story? Interviewer: Yes [chuckle] I have another question, um, which is somewhat unrelated. I’m just interested in any social restrictions that you had. [46:39] Did you have social restrictions as a nurse, um, while you were overseas? Elizabeth Phillips: Social restrictions? Interviewer: Restrictions. Yeah. Elizabeth Phillips: Oh yes, I was in the army and we had to conform to all army rules. We had to be in at 10 o’clock at night and, um, over there I don’t know as you know, they have these long twilights last till 9 and 10 o’clock at night. And so we weren’t allowed out after 9 o’clock. The doors were locked. We accepted all those army regulations and rules because we were doing the type of work which we wanted to do and that was to help the people and the, uh, our own soldiers who were wounded in the war. /la