Great Grumpy, War Rations, and World War II

2 June 2017

World War II . . . 

. . . it defined a generation . . . 

. . . the one they call "The Greatest Generation."

Your Great Grumpy was almost 5 when the United States was pulled into that war . . . and by pulled, I mean Japan sealed the deal when they hit Pearl Harbor!

Did you know, for instance, that an American was shot down while delivering an airplane to the Chinese Air Force in 1932? 2nd Lt Robert Short was killed in action over Shanghai 9 years before the Japanese hit our islands.

November 1937 . . . the American tugboat Felting was seized by the Japanese in Shanghai. They threw the US Flag overboard and tore off a wooden plaque, using it to strike a Chinese crewman.

Military atache' Cpt Robert Losey was killed by the Germans in Norway while he was assisting with the evacuation of US Embassy personnel to Sweden.

So we did have "interest" in that war before being drawn into it.

So what's that got to do with Great Grumpy?

Well, during the war, lots of things were rationed.

In the summer of 1941 . . . before Japanese bombers hit Pearl Harbor so were really weren't "in it" yet . . . the British asked America to conserve food so we could help provide their forces with something to eat. They also warned us about potential shortages in gasoline, steel, aluminum, and electricity. The US established a rationing system after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

In 1942 everyone in America began receiving War Ration Books, and every member of the family was issued one . . . even the babies who qualified for canned milk! Each book had stamps that you traded in for any goods being rationed. You ran out of stamps . . . you ran out of the ability to purchase what you needed . . . simple as that.

So what was rationed? Well, tires were the first . . . on December 11, 1941 a temporary ban on sales was ordered . . . there was a shortage of rubber. On January 1, 1942 it was automobiles . . . only certain professions such a doctors were permitted to purchase new cars. Those factories that produced cars were now producing tanks, aircraft, and weapons. In March of 1942, dog food could no longer be sole in tin cans, so dehydrated versions of dog food was produced. After May, you could no longer buy typewriters or bicycles. By June, manufacturing had stopped on office furniture, radios, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and sewing machines.

And then, holy cow, in April, sugar sales were halted completed . . . resumed in May . . . allowing only 1/2 pound per person per week. Coffee drinkers were stunned in November as that was also rationed to 1 pound every five weeks.

The coffee ration would have put a dent in my world!!

 






It was the sugar ration that got your Great Grumpy though. Limited sugar meant limited candies and other sweets. Local stores, where one there were barrels full of different confections, got rare shipments of candy and gum. Dubble Bubble was a kid favorite . . . a huge wad of pink goodness . . . and a color comic strip to boot . . . Fleer Funnies "Dub and Bub."

And money was short . . .

It was a huge event when the grocery store received a shipment of candy . . . the word spread like wildfire . . . kids dug for pennies and scrambled to be first in line!!! Of course, when you have a dozen pieces of gum come in and 3 times as many kids, you have trouble!

There may have been some tussles over the gum, but some of the kids would actually share. Grumpy likes to tell the story about one of his buddies who always had money and was always first in line.

I don't recall his name, so we'll just call him Bobby. So, Bobby would get his piece of gum (they could only get one you know), and he would rip it open . . . being careful not to tear the comic . . . pop that little pink rectangle in his mouth immediately . . . smile spreading across his face as the sugar melted onto his tongue. He'd immediately read the comic aloud and then pass that around. Then he'd walk off . . . chewing happily . . . until all of the taste was gone from that piece of gum. Sometimes Bobby would just go home and keep the gum all to himself . . . probably leaving it stuck to his bedpost overnight. But occasionally . . . occasionally . . . Bobby would tear that now tasteless piece of chewed gum in half and give it to another kid who'd toss it in his mouth and chew for a while . . . then he'd hand it off to someone else. Grumpy said, though, that almost always by the time it got to him, ALL flavor was gone. He didn't care. He was simply happy to have gum!

Funny isn't it . . . the things we do for the love of something?

"He who would accomplish little would sacrifice little

He who would achieve much must sacrifice much;

He who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly."  ~ James Allen