World War II
My earliest memories as a child were during World War II. I was born in 1939 and the war transpired from 1941 to 1945. I was 6 years old and in the first grade when the war ended, so my recollections are limited. With the country engaged in war with the Germans in Europe and in the Pacific with Japan, supporting the troops and our allies was a top national priority.
As a result American families were required and expected to make sacrifices. Food supplies were scarce and manufacturing plants, such as the automakers (like Ford and General Motors), were all converted to building war materials, such as guns, ammunition, fighter planes and tanks.
In our family home all of the windows had blackout shades so if the country was attacked by air, the enemy planes would not be able to see lights below. Each family had a ration book that contained food stamps, and when my mother went to the local market she presented stamps that limited to the amount and type of food that she could purchase. For example, butter and cooking oil were not generally available. So after my mother cooked she would save the leftover grease so that it could be used in the preparation of the next meal. As the cans of grease accumulated there was a resale market and stores would buy the grease.
All the professional sports teams ceased operation as the players went off to fight in the war, For example, Red Sox legend, Ted Williams, flew fighter planes for the Marines in the South Pacific. All families had relatives in military service. After graduating from high school no one went to college; all the colleges were closed or were turned into training centers for the military. Boys, like George Dalton, who graduated from in 1944, immediately enlisted in the service. I had two older cousins, Helen and Grace, who became Waves (women in Navy). My mother’s brother, Joe, fought in the Battle of the Bulge; earned a purple heart; and eventually died from war-related. My father’s brother, Walter, took part in the invasion of Italy. My uncle Ike (father’s sister, Gert’s husband) fought in the jungles of Burma. My uncle Jack (mother’s sister, Helen’s husband) died aboard the aircraft carrier, Wasp, which was torpedoed in the South Pacific. Perhaps my earliest remembrance was when I was about 4 and I traveled with my mother via train from Boston to Norfolk, Virginia to be with my grieving aunt.
In June 1944 U.S. and Allied forces began the invasion of Europe by landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. In may 1945, less than a year later, Germany surrendered. Three months later after the dropping of the atom bomb Japan surrendered. V-E (Victory in Europe) Day in May 1945 was a massive celebration, as families poured out in the streets across the country. There was a man that lived two houses from us who I knew as Old Man Higgins; when you are 6 years old, everyone over 40 looks ancient. I remember the men in the neighborhood carrying Higgin’s piano down from the second floor apartment so that he could play the piano in the middle of the street. The happy scene continued as the men returned from the war. I was in awe of our upstairs neighbor, Tom Kelley, when he came home proudly wearing his uniform and being greeted by family and neighbors.
My earliest memories as a child were during World War II. I was born in 1939 and the war transpired from 1941 to 1945. I was 6 years old and in the first grade when the war ended, so my recollections are limited. With the country engaged in war with the Germans in Europe and in the Pacific with Japan, supporting the troops and our allies was a top national priority.
As a result American families were required and expected to make sacrifices. Food supplies were scarce and manufacturing plants, such as the automakers (like Ford and General Motors), were all converted to building war materials, such as guns, ammunition, fighter planes and tanks.
In our family home all of the windows had blackout shades so if the country was attacked by air, the enemy planes would not be able to see lights below. Each family had a ration book that contained food stamps, and when my mother went to the local market she presented stamps that limited to the amount and type of food that she could purchase. For example, butter and cooking oil were not generally available. So after my mother cooked she would save the leftover grease so that it could be used in the preparation of the next meal. As the cans of grease accumulated there was a resale market and stores would buy the grease.
All the professional sports teams ceased operation as the players went off to fight in the war, For example, Red Sox legend, Ted Williams, flew fighter planes for the Marines in the South Pacific. All families had relatives in military service. After graduating from high school no one went to college; all the colleges were closed or were turned into training centers for the military. Boys, like George Dalton, who graduated from in 1944, immediately enlisted in the service. I had two older cousins, Helen and Grace, who became Waves (women in Navy). My mother’s brother, Joe, fought in the Battle of the Bulge; earned a purple heart; and eventually died from war-related. My father’s brother, Walter, took part in the invasion of Italy. My uncle Ike (father’s sister, Gert’s husband) fought in the jungles of Burma. My uncle Jack (mother’s sister, Helen’s husband) died aboard the aircraft carrier, Wasp, which was torpedoed in the South Pacific. Perhaps my earliest remembrance was when I was about 4 and I traveled with my mother via train from Boston to Norfolk, Virginia to be with my grieving aunt.
In June 1944 U.S. and Allied forces began the invasion of Europe by landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. In may 1945, less than a year later, Germany surrendered. Three months later after the dropping of the atom bomb Japan surrendered. V-E (Victory in Europe) Day in May 1945 was a massive celebration, as families poured out in the streets across the country. There was a man that lived two houses from us who I knew as Old Man Higgins; when you are 6 years old, everyone over 40 looks ancient. I remember the men in the neighborhood carrying Higgin’s piano down from the second floor apartment so that he could play the piano in the middle of the street. The happy scene continued as the men returned from the war. I was in awe of our upstairs neighbor, Tom Kelley, when he came home proudly wearing his uniform and being greeted by family and neighbors.