Three members of the MCWRB pose with a drum used in performaces. Date unknown. Public domain.

In November 1943, as the Second World War raged in Europe and the Pacific, a group of United States Marine Corps musicians formed a military band to perform for servicemembers and support the war effort. Unique in its all-female composition, The Marine Corps Women's Reserve Band (MCWRB) would go on to perform at countless military events and radio shows, on War Bond and Victory Loan tours, and in hospitals for wounded veterans. 

Stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the MCWRB included 43 members, among them Eleanor Jones of Eau Claire, WI. Eleanor and her fellow enlisted band of sisters were recruited for their musical talents and are best remembered for moving performances and inspiring routines to the rhythm of their own "March of the Women Marines.” 

We invite you to tour this digital exhibit to experience how Eleanor and the women of the MCWRB not only toured the nation in support of the war effort, but also challenged strict gender norms of the era and gained lifelong friendships.