First Lieutenant, US Army, BERYL MERTON MCWILLIAMS

Born: October 23, 1900, Avalon, Pennsylvania
Died: May 10, 1995, Albuquerque, New Mexico

First Lieutenant Beryl Merton McWilliams joined the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) of the US Army in September of 1943 after fifteen years as the secretary of a Pittsburgh attorney.¹ She was chosen for officer training because she had “attended college, and was working as an office administrator, executive secretary, or teacher.”² Mc Williams completed her officer training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where she was commissioned as a second lieutenant and sent to serve in the Signal Corps at Arlington Hall Station in Arlington, Virginia.³

Arlington Hall Station was the main location for the Signal Intelligence Service (SIS, later Signal Security Agency or SSA).⁴ Their “mission at Arlington Hall Station remained focused on protecting U.S. communications and intercepting and deciphering enemy communications.”5

There were over 1,000 Wacs at Arlington Hall and many of them worked as “cryptanalysts responsible for the decoding and deciphering of the Japanese Imperial/Diplomatic code, known as ‘Purple’.”⁶ The women cryptologists “were held to strict secrecy and would become one of the best-kept secrets of World War II”.⁷

Sometime in 1945, McWilliams was promoted to first lieutenant. She served two years at Arlington Hall. First Lieutenant McWilliams was honorably discharged on December 11, 1945, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.⁸

Beryl Merton, and her twin Helen, were born on October 23, 1900, to Samuel and Ella McWilliams in Avalon, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. She grew up with her twin, a sister, and a brother, though there was eventually another sister more than ten years younger than the three eldest.^9,10

By 1920, McWilliams was working for the Knox Andersen Tool Company as a stenographer, eventually going out on her own that year.^11,12 Her parents moved to Hollywood, Florida in 1923, and McWilliams would follow in 1926, getting a job with McCune, Casey, Hiaseen, and Fleming.^13,14,15 While in Hollywood, Florida, she became one of the founders of the Hollywood branch of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW), attending convention dinners as a delegate.^16,17 She was appointed to a BPW committee to plan the Florida state convention for 1927 and was active in her local church, becoming a founding member of the Sunday School Club and becoming its director of publicity.^18,19 Unfortunately, her mother passed away in 1928, so she would return to Pennsylvania with her father and youngest sister who was only fifteen.^20,21,22

McWilliams got a job working for a Pittsburgh attorney on her return to her native Pennsylvania, and she appears to have attended the University of Pittsburgh at this time.²³ By 1940, having lost her father the year before, she was living with her twin sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew.^24,25 In 1943 she was the Mount Lebanon Air Raid Warden but gave up that position, as well as her secretarial job to join the WAC.²⁶

After her discharge, McWilliams moved back to Hollywood, Florida, joining the American Legion and working for the Chamber of Commerce.^27,28 She was not destined to stay long and by 1948 had moved to Reno, Nevada.²⁹ While in Reno, she would once again join the American Legion, becoming their adjutant, and the BPW, being chairman of the legislative committee, but she would also join the Civil Air Patrol, becoming the adjutant for the Nevada Wing of the Air Rescue Squadron.^30,31,32 However, McWilliams would not live in Nevada for long, leaving for Los Alamos, New Mexico in 1953, but not before the Elko, Nevada BPW honored her service as their president.³³

By 1955, McWilliams moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and started work for the Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Atkin, and Robb law firm.³⁴ She would remain in Albuquerque for the rest of her life, being active in the BPW and the only all-female American Legion Post in New Mexico, holding several offices for each group.^{35,36,,37,38,39}

But as the 1960s drew to a close, she was less active in these areas and spent time with her twin sister, who also lived in Albuquerque.⁴⁰ Beryl Merton McWilliams passed away in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 10, 1995.

Images & Documents

Notes:

1. 1. “Mother of 2 Heads WAC Trainee List.” Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 7 September 1943. p. 25.
   2. Bellafaire, Judith A. “Recruitment and Training.” The Women’s Army Corps: A Commemoration of World War II Service. para. 3.
   3. “Avalon WAC Given Assignment.” Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 18 February 1944. p. 39.

   4 & 5. Buley, Dennis. “Arlington Hall Station.” M.I. Factbook. Army Security Agency Online. Copyright 2023. para. 4.

   6. “Code Girls and Arlington Hall: a Diverse History.” Arlington Public Library. Posted: 24 October 2017. para. 4.
   7. “The ‘Code Girls’ of Arlington Hall Station: Women Cryptologists of the Second World War.” National Parks Service, Department of the Interior. Copyright 2023. Introduction.
   8. “Application for World War II Compensation: Mc Williams.” Pennsylvania (State). World War II Veterans Compensation Applications, circa 1950s. Records of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Record Group 19, Series 19.92 Box Title: McNulty, John Joseph Jr – McWilliams, Charles E Jr (519) Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
   9. “McWilliams.” Year: 1910; Census Place: Avalon Ward 1, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T624_1292; Page: 18a; Enumeration District: 0003; FHL microfilm: 1375305.

   10 & 11. “McWilliams.” Year: 1920; Census Place: Avalon Ward 1, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1509; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 4.

   12. “McWilliams, Beryl.” Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. City Directory. 1920.
   13. “Old Hollywood Resident Dies.” Miami News. Miami, Florida. 17 March 1928. p. 12.
   14. “Hollywood Personals.” Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. 8 June 1926. p. 7.
   15. “Chamber Aid Assumes Duties.” Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. 19 January 1946. p. 6.
   16. “Professional Women’s Club is Organized.” Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 9 July 1926. p. 5.
   17. “B and PW Club Closes Year with Large Dinner.” Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. 8 June 1927. p. 5.
   18. “New President of Hollywood Club Presides.” Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 21 July 1927. p. 2.
   19. “Entertains Sunday School Class.” Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 30 January 1927. p. 3.
   20. See note 12 for her mother’s obituary.
   21. See note 14.
   22. “McWilliams.” Year: 1930; Census Place: Dormont, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 0565; FHL microfilm: 2341696. Her youngest sister was 17 in 1930, so she was 15 in 1928.
   23. “Mother of 2 Heads WAC Trainee List.” Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 7 September 1943. p. 25.
   24. “McWilliams.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. 8 September 1939. p. 24.
   25. “Bateman.” Year: 1940; Census Place: Bellevue, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: m-t0627-03397; Pg: 9A; Enumeration District: 2-22.
   26. See note 22.
   27. “Miss Beryl McWilliams Joins Hollywood Legion.” Hollywood Herald. Hollywood, Florida. 25 January 1946. p. 6.
   28. “Chamber Aid Assumes Duties.” Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. 19 January 1946. p. 6.
   29. “Sports and Movies Entertain at 50-50 Dinner.” Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. 30 April 1948. p. 15.
   30. “Legion Post Installs Officers, Plans Party.” Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. 27 September 1950. p.9.
   31. “Two Meetings of Reno BPW are Combined.” Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. 27 January 1951. p. 6.
   32. “Members of the Fourth Air Rescue Squadron.” Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. 8 March 1950. p. 5.
   33. “Elko BPW Club Honors President.” Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. 25 November 1953. p. 11.
   34. “McWilliams, Beryl Merton.” Albuquerque Journal: Obituaries. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 13 May 1995. sec D p 14.
   35. “Annual Meet is Thursday.” Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 6 April 1966. sec B p. 1.
   36. “International B&PW Theme Selected.” Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 22 March 1959. p. 12.
   37. “State’s Only All-Women American Legion Post, the 49ers.” Albuquerque Tribune. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 8 December 1956. p. 3.
   38. “Women Legionnaires Install New Officers.” Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 19 May 1959. p. 21.
   39. “Beauty Aids for Hospital Patients.” Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 11 August 1957. p. 19.
   40. “McWilliams, Beryl Merton.” Albuquerque Journal: Obituaries. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 13 May 1995. sec D p 14.

Compiled by: A. D. McLean, MA, MLIS. Central New Mexico Community College, retired 2022.

Featured Image:

“Beryl Merton McWilliams.” Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/983960/beryl-merton-mcwilliams: accessed 27 August 2023), memorial page for 1LT Beryl Merton McWilliams (23 Oct 1900–10 May 1995), Find a Grave Memorial ID 983960, citing Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA; Maintained by Graveyard Walker (contributor 47314881).