Grace Banker (left) and Suzanne Prevot
General Pershing, leader of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during World War I
When Pershing put out the call for female operators to serve in the Army, advertisements ran in newspapers around the country
A big city telephone exchange, like where Grace and Suzanne would have worked in New York
The application form the women filled out when being screened for service
Grace's gear
Grace's uniform
Most of Army's telephone technicians had worked for Bell Telephone (the so-called "Bell Battalions".) Some of the Hello Girls had been operators for Bell, but others had no prior experience.
A Signal Corps squad; Suzanne Prevot is first on the left, Grace Banker is 2nd from the right
A PBX — a smaller version of switchboards at the time (Note: the rotary dial seen here was not yet in use, but the rest of the components were all standard on WW1-era switchboards)
The first unit of 33 Hello Girls, led by Grace Banker, upon their arrival in Paris. Grace seated front and center
Women were on average 6 times as fast as men doing the job
The YWCA helped arrange housing for the women serving in France
The German cannon that was used to shell Paris from 75 miles away
Hello Girls running switchboards in France, though not at the front... this is more what Chaumont would have been like
An assembly, and a visual reminder that there were a lot more men than women over there! Grace in the back row, on the left; Suzanne in the front, on the left
A map of France, highlighting some of the locations in our story
General Pershing reviews the troops; Grace is 3rd from left
Louise LeBreton (left) and her sister Raymonde at a barracks near the front
The Hello Girls at the front with helmets and gas masks; Bertha Hunt is on the left, Grace Banker on the right
The fire referenced in the scene following "The Duration"
Grace, with her Distinguished Service Medal
Louise LeBreton was among the few surviving Hello Girls to be officially recognized as a veteran
Colorized, and cropped down to five women. Suzanne on the far left, Grace on the far right. (The other 3 are not Bertha, Helen or Louise!)