Girls on the Line--The Hello Girls of WW 1

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You know how much I love it when the Jungle Red week gets a theme, right? And more on that in a moment.

But first. Look at this cover! Does it not stop you in your tracks? This is as irresistible as it gets, right?

And the story behind it, the one Aimie Runyan tells, is equally irresistible! And, because yesterday’s post on the turning points in our lives was such a compelling topic, it continues to this week’s impromptu theme:

Sometimes the Universe Comes to You

By Aimie K. Runyan

Most writers—especially those who don’t write in a series—will tell you that the process for every book changes. Some books come after months or years of struggle to make the characters dynamic, the world palpable, and the prose seamless. Other books demand to be written and drag the author along for a wild ride.

My first three books were, to varying degrees, more like the first scenario with glorious moments of the second.

My forthcoming novel, GIRLS ON THE LINE, fell almost entirely within the second category. I began working on the story after a friend sent me an article about the women who served as telephone operators in France during WWI. The concept was compelling, and there was a lovely new nonfiction book on the topic that would be a great resource for tracking down primary sources and the like.

 Hello Girls operating switchboards in Chaumont, France during WWI 

I sat down to read that nonfiction title, HELLO GIRLS by Elizabeth Cobbs, and my protagonist, Ruby, sprang forth in my brain as I was reading. Compared to my previous novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE NIGHT SKY, whose protagonist, Katya, refused to make friends with me for months, this was an absolute treat. I’ve discovered that once you have the main character in hand, most everything else falls into place.

Once I had my outline, synopsis, and some sample chapters in, I made my way to Kansas City, Missouri and the National WWI Museum. The archivists ushered me in graciously, and I was greeted by the sight of hundreds of letters, photographs, postcards, journal entries, and other military paperwork the women had entrusted to their lawyer, Mark Hough. 

You see, the women, despite having taken the oath of service to the US Army were informed upon their return that they were actually not soldiers, they were civilian contractors, and not entitled to veterans’ benefits. Despite the fact that they could not resign their posts at will. Despite the fact that they could be court martialed. Despite the fact that enlisted men were forced to salute them, and they in turn had to salute officers. They were absolutely part of the military hierarchy, but had their status revoked as soon as there was no need for them.

For sixty years, they fought for the recognition they deserved, but it wasn’t until that young lawyer, Mark Hough, took the case for them in the 1970s that the government finally acknowledged these women.

Chief Operator Grace Banker receiving a Distinguished Medal of Service for her role in the US Army Signal Corps in WWI. 

 In 1979, Hough won the case, and the 28 remaining Hello Girls (of the nearly 250 who served) were awarded their victory medals and due rights.

I was passionate about telling this story, but if there was any doubt that I was meant to be a part of it, it was when Mr. Hough himself came into the museum archives for an interview. 

I’d had no idea he would be in town or that I would ever have the opportunity to speak with him, but I had the chance to listen to him tell his anecdotes about these wonderful women for several hours and ask him the questions I didn’t even know I had. 

I know that the experience breathed life into my book that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. People may think museums are nothing more than dusty relics, but I assure you, there is magic in the sprawling underground archives that most visitors never see. And while writing a book can be excruciating at times, sometimes the universe comes to you.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, I am transfixed. And I have so many questions! But what women do you know who were in a war? Have you ever thought about what you might have done if we were twenty-somethings in 1915?  Or 1940? What about Vietnam?
Or what questions do you have for Aimie? 


 Aimie K. Runyan writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. She has written four historical novels, including the internationally bestselling Daughters of the Night Sky and Promised to the Crown. She is active as an educator and speaker in the writing community and beyond. She lives in Colorado with her wonderful husband and two (usually) adorable children. To learn more about Aimie, please visit http://www.aimiekrunyan.com

 From the celebrated author of Daughters of the Night Sky comes a stirring novel inspired by the courage, dedication, and love of the unsung heroines of the Great War.

December 1917. As World War I rages in Europe, twenty-four-year-old Ruby Wagner, the jewel in a prominent Philadelphia family, prepares for her upcoming wedding to a society scion. Like her life so far, it’s all been carefully arranged. But when her beloved older brother is killed in combat, Ruby follows her heart and answers the Army Signal Corps’ call for women operators to help overseas.

As one of the trailblazing “Hello Girls” deployed to war-torn France, Ruby must find her place in the military strata, fight for authority and respect among the Allied soldiers, and work to secure a victory for the cause. But balancing service to country is complicated further by a burgeoning relationship with army medic Andrew Carrigan.

In GIRLS ON THE LINE, what begins as a friendship forged on the front lines soon blossoms into something more, forcing Ruby to choose between the conventions of a well-ordered life back home, and the risk of an unknown future.