The American Red Cross Uniform of Mary Sharp

Lock Haven native Mary Sharp (1912–89) was an elementary school teacher when the United States entered World War II. With a desire to make a direct contribution to the war effort and possessing a sense of adventure, she enrolled in the American Red Cross. After completing an extensive interview and testing process for overseas volunteers, she was assigned as a recreational worker with the U.S. Army’s 36th General Hospital. Her uniform, now in the collection of The State Museum of Pennsylvania, is pictured here.

As a hospital recreation worker, Sharp addressed the psychological and physical needs of the patients. Activities like parties and holiday observances improved the morale of convalescing patients. She also set up a carpentry and craft shop that kept patients physically and mentally active. Faced with a shortage of raw materials, she constantly scavenged for wood and brass shell casings. Near Naples, Italy, in 1943 she climbed into a crater to collect sheet metal and Plexiglas from a wrecked airplane.

The 36th General Hospital moved during the course of the war from North Africa to the Naples area of Italy, then southern France, and by late 1944, central France. Near Dijon, Sharp was given an abandoned supply of wooden shoes and straw mud shoes that the Germans would have issued to their captives in forced labor. The number of patients in the hospital grew rapidly during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 through early 1945. After that, the nature of the patients changed from combat wounded to liberated prisoners. In July 1945, two months after the German surrender, the hospital was moved to the vicinity of Paris before returning to the U.S. in November.

During the war, Sharp had met hundreds of soldiers from various countries. One soldier in particular, Fredrick Ward, an officer in the British Royal Air Force, made a lasting impression on her. Ward immigrated to the U.S. in January 1948, and he and Sharp began a 25-year marriage. She also returned to her teaching career, working in the Philadelphia public schools, Mansfield University, and the Central Dauphin School District near Harrisburg.

Mary Sharp’s American Red Cross uniform, as well as various souvenirs including shaped and etched Plexiglas and aluminum jewelry, plus the wooden and straw mud shoes mentioned above, were donated to The State Museum by Mary Sharp Ward in 1987.

Robert D. Hill is senior curator of the Military, Political and Industrial History Collections of The State Museum of Pennsylvania.