Auxiliary Alice L. Brittingham (1919–1943)

*Alice L. Brittingham (Courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives, enhanced with MyHeritage)*

Residences	Civilian Occupation
Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania	Waitress
Branch	Service Number
Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps	A-310347
Theater	Unit
Zone of Interior	Company 3, 21st Training Regiment, 3rd Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps Training Center

Early Life & Family

Alice Levinia Brittingham was born in Pittsville, Maryland, on March 26, 1919. She was the daughter of Charles E. (a farmer, 1892–1970) and Bertha E. Brittingham (née Cooper, 1893–1978). Brittingham had 11 siblings: an older brother, two older sisters, six younger brothers, and two younger sisters. The Brittingham family was recorded living on a farm in Willards, Maryland, at the time the census was taken in January 1920. The Brittinghams had moved to the Millsboro area in Sussex County, Delaware, by the end of March 1921, when the family’s next child, Ralph William Brittingham (1921–1985), was born. On the next census, taken in April 1930, the family was recorded as living on a farm along Hickory Hill Road, which runs south from Millsboro.

According to the 1940 census, Brittingham completed three years of high school, while her enlistment data card stated that she had completed one year of high school.

Census records state that Brittingham was living in Dover, Delaware, as of April 1, 1935, but by April 1940, she had moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was recorded on the census that month, living at 237 South 42nd Street with her older sister, Norma (later Killen, 1917–1986), and cousin, Ruth. All three women were working as waitresses. Brittingham moved to 253 South 40th Street in Philadelphia prior to entering the service.

*W.A.A.C.s in training (National Archives)*

Military Service

Brittingham enlisted in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (W.A.A.C.) in Philadelphia on February 16, 1943. On March 4, 1943, she joined Company 3, 21st Training Regiment, 3rd W.A.A.C. Training Center at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Soon after, on March 12, 1943, she was hospitalized with appendicitis. According to a May 12, 1943, article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, after surgery, Brittingham “was on the road to recovery when peritonitis developed.” She died at the Station Hospital, Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, on May 10, 1943, aged 24. Her death was deemed to be in the line of duty.

After services in Wyoming, Delaware, on May 15, 1943, Brittingham was buried at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Smyrna, Delaware. Her parents and several siblings were also buried there after their deaths.

Brittingham is honored at Veteran’s Memorial Park in New Castle, Delaware, and on a placard alongside the Delaware Women’s Service Monument on the grounds of the Legislative Hall in Dover.

*Brittingham’s last pay voucher, one of a handful of documents pertaining to her military service that survived the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire (National Archives)*

Notes

Birth Certificate

Brittingham’s name was listed on her birth certificate as Alice Fisher Britingham rather than Alice Levinia Brittingham, the name she served under in World War II.

Brother

Ralph Brittingham’s birth certificate gave his date of birth as March 30, 1921, while his draft card listed the following day.

Home of Record

Brittingham appears on a Pennsylvania casualty list since she was a resident of that state at the time she enlisted.

Photo Enhancement

The photo on this page was digitally enhanced using tools on the genealogy website MyHeritage. This software is useful in instances where the only known photograph is of limited resolution (in this case, because the original prints was fuzzy and damaged). I believe this to be an accurate reconstruction, but the software could potentially introduce errors by misinterpreting fuzzy details in the original photograph. A comparison of the original and enhanced versions of the photos can be viewed below.

*Original (top) and enhanced version (Courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives)*

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to the Delaware Public Archives for the use of their photo.

Bibliography

“Alice L. Brittingham.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 12, 1943. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86827538/obituary-for-alice-l-brittingham-aged/

“Alice Levinia Brittingham.” Find a Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15750504/alice-levinia-brittingham

Brittingham, Bertha. Individual Military Service Record for Alice Levinia Brittingham. March 11, 1946. Record Group 1325-003-053, Record of Delawareans Who Died in World War II. Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. https://cdm16397.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15323coll6/id/17833/rec/1

Census Record for Alice Brittingham. April 9, 1930. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Record Group 29, Records of the Bureau of the Census. National Archives at Washington, D.C. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R4Z-2N7

Census Record for Alice Brittingham. April 1940. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Record Group 29, Records of the Bureau of the Census. National Archives at Washington, D.C. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9MY-39HX

Census Record for Alice Brittingham. January 8, 1920. Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. Record Group 29, Records of the Bureau of the Census. National Archives at Washington, D.C. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9RFH-99TL

Certificate of Birth for Alice Fisher Britingham [sic]. March 28, 1919. Maryland State Archives. https://archive.org/details/reclaim-the-records-maryland-birth-certificates-1914-1922-sm-35-36/Reclaim_The_Records_-_Maryland_Birth_Certificates_-_1914-1922_-_SM35-sr3685/page/n1199/mode/2up

Certificate of Birth for Ralph William Brittingham. March 30, 1921. Record Group 1500-008-094, Birth Certificates. Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6LNZ-4BR

Draft Registration Card for Ralph William Brittingham. February 16, 1942. Draft Registration Cards for Delaware, October 16, 1940 – March 31, 1947. Record Group 147, Records of the Selective Service System. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSMG-D94R-T

Enlistment Record for Alice L. Brittingham. February 16, 1943. World War II Army Enlistment Records. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at College Park, Maryland. https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=all&tf=F&q=A-310347&bc=&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=40424

“Final Statement of Alice L. Brittingham, A-310347, Aux, Co. 3, 21st Tng. Regt.” May 1943. Individual Pay Vouchers, c. 1926–1963. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri.

Individual Deceased Personnel File for Alice L. Brittingham. May 13, 1943. Individual Deceased Personnel Files, 1939–1953. Record Group 92, Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, 1774–1985. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri.

Morning Reports for Company 3, 21st Training Regiment. March 1943 – May 1943. U.S. Army Morning Reports, c. 1912–1946. Record Group 64, Records of the National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/partners/st-louis/rg-064/85713825-wwii/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-2726/85713825_1940-01-thru-1943-07_Roll-2726-17.pdf

Last updated on August 23, 2025