Iris Carpenter

Carpenter was born on September 21, c.1904 in England, the daughter of a wealthy cinema entrepreneur. In 1933, Carpenter stepped down from her position as a journalist to focus on raising her two children, Brian Scruby and Patricia Perry, with her first husband, Charles Scruby who was known to be a successful property developer. == Career ==

In the early phase of World War II, Carpenter witnessed five German planes being shot down close to her home. Carpenter decided to return to her career as a journalist and began working with the Daily Herald in London to cover special war reports such as the Blitz. she was accepted and joined the U.S. 1st Army as a war correspondent and documented the American involvement during the war. and that American officials acknowledged that women excelled at covering specific areas of war. Other reports included her experiences at hospitals and war-torn villages. as they advanced in France towards an immediate beachhead at Normandy and alongside the Allied forces as the German troops retreated across the River Orne. During one of her visits to London, Carpenter was accused of violating press regulations and policies when she transferred her position along the frontlines with the American troops. Carpenter countered the allegation, explaining that the beachhead area changed due to natural conditions and that no press regulations were violated. Following the Paris liberation in August 1944, Carpenter continued to report on the war despite having shattered an eardrum, being caught in a storm, and travelling under precarious circumstances. Carpenter documented the participation of American troops, the reactions of local individuals toward Nazi oppression, experiences of wounded soldiers, concentration camps, and the stories of medical staff. Events covered by Carpenter include but are not limited to the London Blitz in 1940, the Normandy invasion included the bombing of Saint-Lô, Battle of Arnhem, Battle of Huertgen Forest, Battle of the Bulge, and Rhine. == Later life ==

After the war had ended, Carpenter divorced her first husband, Charles Scruby. She remarried to American Colonel and the First Army's operations officer, Russel F. Akers Jr. on January 20, 1946. Akers was the operations officer of the First Army, the American army she had been following during the war. She later settled in Virginia, United States. Iris Carpenter died on October 7, 1997, at the age of 93 due to heart failure at North Arundel Hospital in Glen Burnie. == Legacy ==

Iris Carpenter was a prominent British journalist and war correspondent who wrote for London's Daily Herald, London Daily Express, and the Boston Globe. Her work with the BBC broadcast and the Voice of America remains in the archives today. both of which were featured on the Boston Globe. The memoir talks about the uncertainty and vulnerability female reporters faced on site, while also encountering various gendered rules they had to agree upon to keep their positions. Her fearlessness brought her to follow the US Army from the Battle of Arnhem through Antwerp, Aachen and the Rhine. She was also present during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest and stayed with the army until the Battle of Bulge. These newspaper clips have now become important pieces of history that she had risked her life to gather. Her memoir depicts her journey as well as stories of American soldiers caring for each other throughout the war. These accomplishments paved the way for future female journalists to gain the same treatment as male journalists in the field. == Publications ==

Memoir: ''No Woman's World'' (1946) == See also ==