American Air Museum in Britain
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Evelyn Martin-Johnson was one of a small number of African American women who served with US forces in the UK. She was born in Buffalo in 1920 and started training as a nurse. However, a chance meeting with two military women encouraged her to join the WACs. She joined in 1942 and served until 1946, ending her service as a sergeant.
Evelyn was assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Based in Birmingham, she sorted packages to clear a large backlog at the US mail depot. Evelyn liked being in England, where they were treated as equals, saying, “We were received beautifully. All of us adored England.”
Her unit then moved to Rouen in France after the war ended to complete a similar task. Evelyn returned home in February 1946 and the 6888th was disbanded a month later.
Evelyn went to college under the GI Bill and became a dental hygienist. She resided in Florida where she died in 2015 at the age of 95.
On display in the AAM is a WAC Sergeant uniform, which would have been the type of uniform Evelyn would have worn. We are proud to use this uniform to tell the stories of Evelyn and those who served in the 6888th.
The story of the 6888th will be told in the upcoming Netflix movie, “Six Triple Eight.”
To learn more about Evelyn’s experiences in the war, as well as to learn more about the 6888th Battalion, be sure to check out the link below!
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/.../evelyn-clarisse...