World War 2 lasted from December 1941 until June 1945. My age span then was 9 thru 13. We had rationing on most everything. Gas, oil, meat, sugar, nylons, butter, tires, shoes, cars, bicycles, cheese, canned milk, canned fish, typewriters. So much more. For an interesting site that pretty much tells what the true scope was, go to:
Http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/events/rationing.htm#items.
There were ration books and red tokens and blue tokens. Each had a value. They were used just like coins. Legally, you couldn’t buy anything without them. However, there was a lot of black marketing that went on. How would it not.
I made a little bit of money in those days. I had the “proverbial” little red wagon that I pulled every where. I used it for my paper routes and to pick up and scavenge for bottles, tin cans, string, newspapers and discarded cigarette packages. In those days they had a lead liner on the inside of the package which peeled off. I would find lots of them in the streets and the alleys and I just made a ball out of them. String was another thing I collected. I would wind any that I found into a ball. Mom would keep her fat from cooking and I would put in cans. With all the bars in the area, bottles were my biggest money makers. I worked at this every chance I had. When I felt like I had a full wagon then I would take it all to the junkyard up by the river. He would buy everything I had. This was about once a week. The junk dealer would buy everything I had. This was about once a week or sooner.
The junk dealer was quite an entrepreneur. I can remember when I was very, very little when he went up and down the streets pushing a two wheeled cart and yelling and touting his wares. Only thing I sort of remember was “Rags for sale!” We all laughed at him as well as a lot of adults. We didn’t know then, nor did many other people that he was slowly buying up properties thru part of the city. Mostly in our neighborhood. When I was around 6 or 7 I can remember my Dad renting this little apartment where we lived in for about 6 months before buying the house on 7th avenue. I found out later that Dad actually rented that apartment from that same dealer.
Because butter was rationed, someone came out with a Plastic bag about six inches by four inches with a white buttery texture inside. There was a ‘button’ in the center with a red liquid dye that would break open and you would keep squeezing the bag all over until it all turned yellow. Something like a forerunner to oleomargarine, probably.
Patriotism was like nothing I can remember seeing to this day. People bought war bonds and war savings bond stamps. You could buy a bond for 18.75 and if you kept it 10 yrs, it would be worth 25.00. I bought quite a few 10 cent stamps and put them in the booklet they supplied. Truthfully, I don’t remember what even happened to it. But it was for the war and you just did it. A lot of men died from our city. When you walked down the street you could tell by the small flags hanging in the windows with stars. A blue star would mean one member of the family was in the service. Two blue stars would mean two were in the service and so on. If the star was gold it meant that the serviceman was killed. We saw a lot of flags in those days.
Most of the young men and husbands were gone to war. I made a lot of money mowing lawns and shoveling snow and doing small jobs for those left behind, even at my young age. I had a roll top desk with pigeon holes. In it I had index cards, one for each day, with an address for each mowing job that particular day.
With all this going on I would jog up to 38th street to the Bowladrome where I would set pins for the evening leagues. It was about a mile. Actually 12 blocks. I got ten cents a game for setting 2 alleys for a league per bowler which was 10 for 2 teams. Plus tips, which were usually pretty good if you did a good job. I could always set two leagues a night plus some open bowling before or after. Usually about 2.50 a night. That was a lot of money back then. Besides that, we got free bowling whenever we wanted and I wanted it a lot. I got good enough that I was asked to fill in for a league bowler 2 times when I was only 14.
I also worked sacking potatoes and bananas at the grocery store next door when I could. I even swept up at night. I also had a paper route and a Sunday paper route.
I was a pretty busy little guy during the War and after.
Seems like I’ve always been busy.
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