Both speedy and accurate are the WAVES who ‘man’ Naval Communications at Washington, D.C., the heart of the Navy’s far-flung communications network. Through their hands flow the unending stream of messages attendant upon a Navy at war. Replacing male experts needed at sea or distant bases during World War II, these alert and competent members of the Women’s Reserve are ‘passing the word’ for the men behind the guns. Telegrapher Third Class Ida May Rowley, shown checking monitor tape in this photo, is one of many of the WAVES who perform this important communications work during WWII.
