Ms. Anna Adline Kinney Graffitt was a member of the US Army Signal Corps in France during World War I. Formally called the Signal Corps Female Telephone Operators Unit, these women known as the “Hello Girls” became the unsung heroes of communication. Recruited to operate switchboards in France, Ms. Kinney and her comrades connected calls to ensure smooth and efficient communications for the U.S. Army. Many of the operators were bilingual and crucial in overcoming language barriers and expediting military commands.
Born in Illinois, Anna was the child of first-generation Irish immigrants. The family were farmers. Her mother died in 1907. In about 1912, Anna moved to nearby Iowa and became a telephone operator. When the call came for experienced operators to go to France, Anna was one of thousands of women to volunteer. Following her selection, she went to New York for military training, medical examinations and vaccinations. She would have had to purchase her own uniforms and been paid $60 every month.
Ms. Kinney shipped with the 5th group of Signal Corps women in August of 1918 aboard the Aquitiana, a Cunard cruise liner that had been converted into a troop transport ship. The crossing was a dangerous time, with enemy submarines continuing to patrol the waters and posing a constant threat. Many of the women slept with their lifejackets on.
Once in France, Ms. Kinney was assigned to Paris. Within a month, she had moved to General Pershing’s headquarters in Chaumont. Because the Army had no barracks for the women, she stayed with 25 of her comrades at a boarding house under the supervision of the YWCA.
Their hours were long, sometimes stretching into days. Most nights, the switchboards were turned over to men, who’s slower pace and reduced proficiency would not matter during these lighter times. However, during major offenses, the women would remain at their posts, connecting calls with six times the speed as the men. Ms. Kinney reportedly stayed at her post for over 70 hours supporting the Meuse-Argonne offensive, in the final days before the Armistice.
Peace returned many of the doughboys home. The telephone operators remained at their posts, supporting the peace talks at Versailles. Ms. Kinney rotated back to Paris and supported the aviation headquarters at the Avenue Montaigne. She finally sailed back to the US in July of 1919.
Back in Iowa, Ms. Kinney continued to work as a telephone professional. She worked in the phone industry until her marriage to John Graffitt, an appliance seller, in 1927. Ms. Kinney was unusually old for a bride in the 1920s, being over 30 years old at a time when the average age of marrying women was 21 years.
The Graffitts had two daughters, Barbara and Joan. Mrs. Graffitt focused on her family, staying home.
Mrs. Anna Adline Kinney Graffitt died on February 7, 1957, at the age of 63 from a heart attack. She is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Ottumwa, Iowa. When her husband passed away 11 years later, he was buried alongside her.
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