Great Aunt Frances was born on January 31, 1915 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She lived in New Bedford her entire life prior to the Army, the youngest of Antonio and Emilia Santos’s five children. She attended school at Hosea Nolton Grammar and Normanden Jr. High in Cedar Grove. Prior to the war she worked in the Beacon Mill, a dress shop, and a pocket book factory in New Bedford.Frances joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (W.A.A.C.’s) in March of 1943. She went to Basic Training at Fort Ogelthorpe Georgia until her graduation in April. She then transferred to Richmond, Kentucky where she attended The Army’s Administration School at Eastern State Teachers College. Frances Graduated from Eastern on May 19th 1943 and was assigned to the WAC DET of the Boston Fighter Wing in Boston, Massachusetts. She remained there until the spring of 1944 when she was assigned to the 9th Air Force in England. Once the Invasion of Europe had begun Frances then transferred with her unit to Creil, France where she worked with the 394th Signal Auxiliary, a Communications Unit. She remained there for many months until her Unit then transferred to Luxembourg. She remained in Luxembourg until the end of the war. When the War was over she transferred for a third time for Occupation duties in Germany. here she would remain until fall of 1945 when she would transfer back to the U.S. and discharged.
BASIC
TRAINING and The Aircraft Warning Service
