Air Raid Warden ephemera collection, circa 1941-1945

Biographical Note

The collection appears to have been created by Agnes E. Hinea, née Eppinger (1892-1986), who served as a volunteer air raid warden in Seattle, Washington. Her parents, Marie and Ferdinand, "Fred," Eppinger immigrated to the United States in 1883 from Germany. Agnes was born in Washington as were her sisters Clara and Lucy, while her sister Gertrude was born in Idaho. Agnes was married to Ray Waldo Hinea (1892-1963), who was general manager of the Ford factory plant in Seattle and later, executive of the King County Humane Society. Her sons were Ray Waldo Hinea, Jr. (b. 1923) and Richard James Hinea (b. 1931).

Agnes Hinea was a member of the Seattle Visiting Nurse Service, Laurelhurst Unit, as well as the Laurelhurst Circle of the Seattle Fruit and Flower Mission. A photograph of Agnes Hinea appears in the Seattle Daily Times on July 22, 1931, page 10.

Vera Peet Borst (1901-1957), who housed the First Aid Shelter for Precinct 3 (see Folder 3), was active in many organizations including the Women's Victory Corp, Red Cross, Association for Catholic Childhood, and the Literary and Travel Club. Her husband, Frank James Borst (1891-1973) worked for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.

Historical Note

Following Japan's December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, concerns of attacks against the United States mainland (particularly the West Coast) grew. The United States formally declared war against Japan on December 8, 1941. The Office of Civilian Defense, established on May 20, 1941 by Executive Order 8757, coordinated federal, state, and local defense programs for the protection of civilians during emergencies. The Office of Civilian Defense organized the United States Defense Corps, which trained civil defense volunteers including air raid wardens, fire watchers, plane spotters, first aid responders, and rescue operations in the event of attacks. A January 5, 1942 Seattle Daily Times article describes the training and responsibilities of volunteer air raid wardens as "first aid; methods of combating incendiary bombs; protection against gas; and reports." By July, 1942, almost 35,000 Seattle residents were serving as volunteer air raid wardens.