Thanks to Genea-Musing’s Randy Seaver and his exploration of AI tools, I’ve been learning how to use Google NotebookLM to enhance my genealogy research.
After successfully generating an audio overview for one of my Revolutionary War ancestors, Oliver Miles, I asked my husband to listen. His immediate reaction was, “We need to use this technology at the military museum to share the stories of our veterans.”
He had previously researched Dorothy Swart Tatum, one of the women honored in our local military collection, and had written her biography for the Stories Behind the Stars project. Using that biography, I asked Google Notebook to create a narrated overview of her service.
To make the result easily shareable, I used Canva to convert the audio file into a video. That allowed me to upload the story to YouTube and present it in a more accessible, engaging format.
Below is the audio overview, followed by the full biography of Dorothy Swart Tatum.
Captain Dorothy Lucille Swart Tatum, 28, died 12 February 1946, at Mitchell Field Hospital, Long Island, New York, from illness believed to have been contracted during her service in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) attached to the Eighth Air Force in England. She was the longest serving WAC in the European Theatre of Operations.
Early Life
Dorothy Lucille Swart, the first daughter of George Martin and Zula May Gilkerson Swart, was born Christmas Day 1917 on a farm in Adams Township southeast of Seneca, Nemaha County, Kansas. Her early childhood and education were in Nemaha County. She attended district #38 Head, a rural school. Likely 23 August 1929 the Swart family left Nemaha County moving west to a farm near Campus, Grinnell Township, Gove County, Kansas. She took and passed the diploma examination in Grinnell as she was recognized as a 1932 Star School 8th grade graduate in Gove County, Kansas. She began her high school education at Grinnell Rural High School in 1932; completing and graduating as valedictorian in 1936. She was considered a member of the Grinnell Methodist-Episcopal Church.
By September 1936, she began teaching at Pleasant View School. In 1937 Dorothy attended and graduated from Wichita Business College in Wichita, Kansas. In 1938 she had moved to Texas and had been hired by the Engelman Products Company. In 1940, she was reported living in Hidalgo County, Texas, and working at Engelman Club House as a stenographer earning $700 in 1939. Her next employment was being a secretary at F.H. Vahlsing, Inc. in Elsa, Texas, from about April 1940 until August 1942. Dorothy was a member of a bridge club in Elsa. She was a member at Weslaco, Texas of the Texas Women’s Defense Corps (TWDC),Company D, 3rd Battalion, and had advanced from Private to the rank of a Corporal. Purposes of the TWDC included learning first aid, motor mechanics, fire fighting, military drill and other emergency aid duties. By 1942, Dorothy had obtained a civilian’s pilot license having solo flying time credit.
Military Service
Miss Dorothy Swart was informed by Western Union telegram that she was accepted by the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 22 July 1942 as a candidate for officers training. She wired her acceptance response the same day. Her enlistment happened at a swearing in ceremony on 10 August 1942 in San Antonio, Texas. Her rank was listed as aviation cadet with service number A-800017. Her enlistment was for the duration of the War plus six months subject to the discretion of the President. She had been authorized for a twelve day enroute delay. The next day, 11 August 1942, she was at her parent’s farm home near Oakley, Kansas. Dorothy rode a train reporting at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, on August 24th for the basic officer training as a member of 8th Company 1st Regiment and known as Dorothy Swart, OC (Officer Candidate). One hardship, endured by the women in Iowa was an early September cold spell without heated buildings and no issued winter clothing. She became 3rd Officer (equivalent to 2nd Lieutenant) Dorothy L. Swart when she was commissioned with 4th WAAC class on 3 October 1942 at Fort Des Moines.
On 18 October 1942, she was again at her parents enroute to her next assignment, a Florida post on 1 November 1942. She traveled from Kansas to Denver, Colorado (22 Oct 1942), to Houston, Texas, to Rio Grande Valley towns of Elsa, Donna, McAllen, Weslaco and Harlingen, then flew back to Houston to New Orleans (31 Oct 1942) and finally Dayton Beach, Florida. This assignment was to help activate the 2nd WAAC Training Center at Daytona Beach. She was chosen Platoon Commander by men Tactical Officers at Daytona Beach.
Dorothy received orders on 11 Jan 1943 to report immediately to Washington, D.C. and she arrived on 13 January 1943 at 6:30 a.m. She had been assigned to W.A.A.C. headquarters at the Pentagon. Dorothy was promoted to 2nd Officer (equivalent to 1st Lt) effective 28 Jan 1943.
Dorothy made a surprise visit to her parents’ home (Kansas) arriving 2 February 1943. Her parents honored her with a chili supper on February 3rd. The secrecy had started as she did not inform her parents of her next assignment, which was reporting to the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) in England. She was back in Washington, D.C. the following Sunday night. She probably left New York on the ____ and was at a resort town in Portugal on February 11th. 2nd Officer Dorothy arrived in England as one of the first two WAAC’s by airplane on 13 February 1943. At a press conference of British and American reporters and photographers on the 15th, she was described as “comely” and “browned-eyed”. Questions inquiring about her assignment were not answered, but Lieutenant Swart is quoted as saying “I left a boy friend behind in Elsa.” Reporters used other sources learning she was to do communications work at the Eighth Bomber Command. She was working with 115 female members of the British Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) who were temporarily serving as cipher officers, telephone and teleprinter operators and stenographers.
She received a March 1943 luncheon invitation from the Lady Mayoress and Lord Mayor of London. In Dorothy’s own words the luncheon was “in honor of Her Highness”. This honoree was a member of the British royal family, Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary, known as Mary, Princess Royal.
The press had been addressing her as Lt. Swart since arriving in England. One supposed relaxation time activity was the game of croquet. In April 1943 she was referred to as 2nd Officer (equivalent to 1st Lieutenant) when pictured teaching a WAAF “how to pitch horseshoes”. Less than two months later, the press reported “She said she had seen Winston Churchill” during a NBC message broadcast (4 April 1943) from London by Station KOA, but her letter home uses the term “met” instead of seen.
Dorothy attended “a luncheon given at the Mansion House in London attended by women leaders of the United Nations war effort” in May 1943. She met a captain of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps at the luncheon. 1st Lieutenant Swart met a second time the guest of honor, the Princess Royal. Near the end of May, an older brother reported she wrote from England of purchasing a British “novelty”, a bicycle (February 1943), and learning to ride. One obstacle was the opposite traffic pattern compared to the states. Another drawback was “she decided to move a bridge, but came out of that experience with a badly bent bicycle”.
It is believed that some time between February and July, Dorothy had received additional communication training during a month’s detached service to a British school. She was the first WAAC to receive this schooling.
A story reported in July 1943, after a WAAC battalion was in England, began “Who says a woman can’t keep a secret?” The story described that Lt. Swart and her WAAC Captain arrived in England (February 1943) under secret orders; of which the adjutant general’s office was aware and were waiting until “reports started coming in two women in strange uniforms were going around trying to find out where the 8th Air Force headquarters were located.”. Those orders were “to report directly to Major General Ira C. Eaker” at the headquarters of the U.S. 8th Army Air Force. The WAAC officers attempts to locate the headquarters were futile as they would not show their secret orders so no one helped direct them. Colonel Ralph Pulsifer, assigned to the adjutant general’s office, found the WAACs just outside U.S. headquarters in London. Questioning ensued; “Don’t you know you are supposed to report to the adjutant general’s office?” he asked. This is an Army regulation for military personnel coming into an area. “No, sir,” the WAAC Captain replied, “my orders were to report to General Eaker.” Colonel Pulsifer ordered the WAAC’s to report to his office and then helped them to fulfill their secret orders.
Most likely, a press release in August 1943 revealed that Dorothy “helped set up the new confidential communication system at a bomber command.” at a U.S. base somewhere in England. (After the war she revealed that “somewhere” was the major communications and operational facility underground headquarters at Wycombe Abbey School, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire; code name “Pinetree”) This system included 24 hours per day coverage of a switchboard manned by 3 shifts of now WACs as President Roosevelt had signed on 1 July 1943 the legislation for the name change and making these women a part of the U.S. Army. Some of the battalion of Army women were telephone operators and had received a short British telephone methods course in London. These women replaced WAAF and the changeover was apparently very quick as Dorothy is quoted saying “We don’t mess around.”
She wrote a v-mail letter home dated 11 August 1943. (Besides what has already been stated about her time in England, she has met the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, “but still would like to meet the King and Queen” (and she missed that opportunity as the King and Queen are pictured at the base reviewing the WACs on 11 May 1945…one will learn why later) and “have seen the Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, House of Parliament, Big Ben and the River Thames” plus Oxford and Cambridge colleges and the King and Queen’s country home, Windsor Castle.)
In September 1943 a Texas newspaper reported Lieutenant Swart had become the communications officer, a temporary assignment, within the U.S. 8th Army Air Force at a Flying Fortress bomber station. About the middle of the month she was sworn into the Women’s Army Corps and officially became 1st Lieutenant retroactive to 1 September 1943. Also at this time, Dorothy was not the highest ranking WAC in England, but was the WAC with the most seniority in England as the Captain with whom she arrived had returned stateside.
Dorothy was in possession of a used 35mm camera and film in November 1943. The camera was sent to her from Mr. Hamilton (believed to be a former employer when she worked in Texas).
During February 1944, Lt. Swart was providing an interview from England on the Mutual Broadcasting System, which was heard by her parents in Kansas.
It appears Dorothy had a chance meeting with a pilot in London during March 1944. This pilot was probably the earlier mentioned Texas boyfriend; at this time he was Lt. Michael Farmer Groom.
In March 1944, Dorothy has been promoted becoming Captain Dorothy Swart. Headquartered underground, Captain Swart was an operations officer for the Eighth Air Force led now by Lt. General James H. Doolittle. She was previously a specialist in the communications section. As operations officer, her peacetime secretary skills were blended with her wartime communication training and skills to provide indispensable first reports on the daily German targets that were bombed. “…her reports are the first over-all description of the missions.”
A letter sent to her sister in July 1944 made the following comment after she had requested a coffee pot be mailed to her; “They drink tea mostly & I think because don’t know how to make good coffee.”
Although a letter home to her parents near the end of October 1944 was censor stamped, Dorothy refers to herself as Commanding Officer (C.O.) of the 417th Signal Battalion. Within the letter Captain Swart wrote “I have about 10 men in my company – they would come around last night and ask me for a dance – introduce themselves and call me their C.O. – most of them say they daren’t write home and tell the folks at home that they have a WAC for a C.O. but I asked them not to consider it too much of a disaster and try to overlook the WAC part – they are a grand bunch.”
Captain Swart finished her job within the Signal Corps on 30 December 1944 as she had been granted moving into Air Corps Operations as of 1 January 1945. It allowed her to again wear little wings. At some point in time she had been assigned as assistant operations officer at 8th AAF headquarters at Wycombe Abbey.
Nineteen days before V-E day on 8 May 1945, Dorothy flew aboard a B-17 which may have been piloted by Major John Hutton Stark from England to Frankfort, Germany. For her it was a sightseeing opportunity. On the way back to England and after crossing the German border at Aachen, Captain Swart was in the co-pilot’s seat and was given control of the stick; she was flying the bomber. In 8 ½ hours she had traveled over 1000 miles leaving England, crossing the English Channel with airtime above France, Belgium and Germany. In her words, “When Monty crossed the Rheine-he made history for the world. When I crossed the Rheine- I made history for Dorothy”. ETO tokens added to her collection from this day were a silver Graf Zepplyn pin and a damaged Hitler photo autographed by the crew and passengers.
Captain Dorothy L. Swart was married to John Merl Tatum, two days after V-E Day the afternoon of 10 May 1945 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, at All Saints Parish Church by Colonel Walter Dorre, Chaplain, assisting the Vicar. “The bride was given away by Colonel Edward Toro.” Her bridesmaid was Captain Mary Johnston. Lieutenant General James “Jimmy” Doolittle, commander of the Eighth Air Force, attended the wedding and at the reception in the officer’s club, he gave the toast to the bride and groom. The honeymooners headed for London to the Berkeley Square area with a military driver. General F. L. Anderson offered his flat at 41 Berekely Square for a couple of nights. The next day the couple learned they had one more day and luckily obtained a reservation at the Mayfair. Mr. Tatum left early evening May 13 from Kings Cross Station for the United States.
She notified her parents in July 1945 she was at an embarkation center near Liverpool, England. However, Dorothy wrote in a letter that she had returned to the USA aboard the Queen Mary sailing from Greenock, Scotland, on July 28. The ship sailed past the Statute of Liberty at 4:15 a.m. on August 5. She was the first person down the gangplank at 6:45 a.m.
Captain Dorothy Swart Tatum was honorably discharged likely September 1945 serving nearly three years in the WAC’s with 30 months overseas. “She served longer than any other WAC in the ETO”. Apparently Dorothy selected to take her 50 days of terminal leave when she was discharged.
On the Homefront
While serving in August 1945, Dorothy received a pass allowing her and her husband John to travel by train to the Oakley, Kansas area to visit her parents so she could introduce “Johnnie” in person. They returned to New York. Dorothy had an illness but feeling better she and husband John moved to a home on 15 October 1945 in Great Neck, Long Island, NY. She was admitted to Mitchell Field Hospital, Great Neck, Long Island, New York, on 25 October 1945. On December 10th, she gave caesarian birth to a premature baby daughter. Her hometown Kansas newspaper reported proud parents, but sadly the baby, Jedney Louise Tatum, passed within hours on 11 December 1945.
In the afternoon of February 12, 1946, Dorothy Swart Tatum, passed away at Mitchell Field Hospital after health complications of flu, bronchial pneumonia, and as one newspaper headline wrote “T. B. of Blood Stream”. A form obtained from military sources has cause of death as “Empyema caused by tubercle bacillus” and decomposition was noted as gangrene – tuberculosis. By some news articles, a contributing factor was her service in underground conditions at the 8th Air Force headquarters in England. Her casket was transported to Nemaha County, Kansas by train escorted by a WAC officer. Her funeral service was held in Oneida Methodist Church at Oneida, Kansas, on Sunday, February 17th. She was buried in the family plot in the Oneida Cemetery, Nemaha County, Kansas.
It is believed Captain Dorothy Swart Tatum’s name is inscribed on the Wall of Honor at the Oakley Kansas VFW.
This story was written by Michael Philbrick of Seneca, Kansas, and in collaboration with niece Deborah Rowley Mercer of Centennial, Colorado, to honor and remember this WWII fallen service member. If you noticed anything missing in this profile, you may contact the author. The author’s email is located at the bottom of the story page, next to the words “Composed by:”.
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (www.storiesbehindthestars.org .) This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen person’s name and read his/her story.