HASKELL Family Reunion

Home
Family History
Family Tree
Photo Album
Reminiscing
Reunion Info
Family News
Address Book
From Our Kitchen
Memories of World War II
by Jean Loesch Krauklin
(Continued from page 1)

Propaganda - a new word to us - was with us all the time. Movies, newsreels, newspapers, books all put out the word that our enemies were pure evil. We were right in all ways, they were completely wrong. Even the opera "Madame Butterfly" was banned for years because this Italian opera was set in Yokohama; the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "The Mikado" was likewise banned, although it is actually a parody of English politics. We went along with it, as we daily saw posters and billboards urging us to buy bonds, save gas, not to let slip any defense secrets, etc. Every play, movie, and public event began with the audience singing the national anthem.
Right away things disappeared from store shelves; the wonderful nylon hose we had just discovered for one; nylon was needed for parachutes. Frozen foods had just come on the market, but these were mostly sent to war also. Meat, butter, coffee, sugar were all carefully rationed; we all had ration books with coupons to try to insure fair distribution of what was available to the public. Families were encouraged to grow "victory gardens" and given special permission to use city parks. The Fenway had many of these vegetable gardens.
Wool, needed for servicemen's uniforms, became scarce in stores, and abruptly the style of clothes became skimpier. Men's trouser cuffs disappeared, and skirts became short and pleatless. Leather, needed for wartime boots, was no longer used in civilians' shoes. We made do with canvas and what seemed like cardboard shoes. Silk was gone, as of course we were no longer importing from the East; we had stockings made of rayon that sagged and drooped. Not having the option of wearing slacks in those days, most of us working girls painted our legs with a tan-colored goo used as a substitute for stockings. This came off on the inside of our dresses and was hard to wash off.
Workers in vital industries were "frozen" in their jobs and couldn't change or quit (unless circumstances were dire.) Wages were also frozen, and hours were increased to 48 hours a week or more. From 1941 to 1948 or so no cars were produced for civilian use--most of our iron and steel went into tanks, guns, jeeps, planes, and so on. This wasn't of much concern to me, living in a rented room in Boston and commuting to work by bus or subway, but there certainly were many restrictions on travel. Servicemen traveled free on trains. I recall standing in the aisle of a train or sitting on my suitcase all the way from Boston to Berlin one Christmas.
Entertainment was deeply affected by the absence of the thousands of men between 18 and 50. Orchestras and theater troupes were decimated, and many disbanded for the duration of the war.
Every block of almost every town and city had its "air raid warden." This was an older man who voluntarily patrolled his neighborhood to make sure every house was darkened with blackout shades at night, and every streetlight was dimmed and shaded so as not to provide an easy target for enemy planes. That's when the wistful song was written: "When the Lights Go On Again All Over the World." It was eerie being out in the evening in darkened Boston.
In 1943 I got a secretarial job in the Office of Price Administration, located on Court Street in Boston near the old City Hall. War agencies took over shore buildings, hotels, waterfront properties, boats, ships--they had almost unlimited powers. My hours were from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30, with half an hour for lunch, six days a week. My salary was $1440 a year and went up to $1620 after some months. The men working in this agency were recruited from their former businesses or professions because they felt needed, or perhaps because they had been unable to get supplies to continue their work. My boss, Mr. Kellar, had been a general contractor and was now in charge of keeping prices stable in the lumber industry in New England.
The word "inflation" was new to us, and for purposes of motivation, all new employees took a 3- day course in how important it was to keep prices and wages stable during the war effort. I would say the effort was successful, although not without some hardship cases. Rents were also controlled, "frozen" at their present levels.
One day at work I was opening mail for my department and came across a report from my father's company up in Berlin, the E. M. Cross Machine Company! All companies in the region had to report their price structure and wage information. My dad resented this kind of supervision by the government and its new laws, and before long he decided to sell his company and go into banking instead.
(Continued on page 3)

Any comments or questions? Contact
louise@loesch.net
S i t e d e s i g n b y W e b f a i r

Home Family History Family Tree Photo Album Reminiscing Reunion Info Family News Address Book From Our Kitchen		Memories of World War II by Jean Loesch Krauklin (Continued from page 1) Propaganda - a new word to us - was with us all the time. Movies, newsreels, newspapers, books all put out the word that our enemies were pure evil. We were right in all ways, they were completely wrong. Even the opera "Madame Butterfly" was banned for years because this Italian opera was set in Yokohama; the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "The Mikado" was likewise banned, although it is actually a parody of English politics. We went along with it, as we daily saw posters and billboards urging us to buy bonds, save gas, not to let slip any defense secrets, etc. Every play, movie, and public event began with the audience singing the national anthem. Right away things disappeared from store shelves; the wonderful nylon hose we had just discovered for one; nylon was needed for parachutes. Frozen foods had just come on the market, but these were mostly sent to war also. Meat, butter, coffee, sugar were all carefully rationed; we all had ration books with coupons to try to insure fair distribution of what was available to the public. Families were encouraged to grow "victory gardens" and given special permission to use city parks. The Fenway had many of these vegetable gardens. Wool, needed for servicemen's uniforms, became scarce in stores, and abruptly the style of clothes became skimpier. Men's trouser cuffs disappeared, and skirts became short and pleatless. Leather, needed for wartime boots, was no longer used in civilians' shoes. We made do with canvas and what seemed like cardboard shoes. Silk was gone, as of course we were no longer importing from the East; we had stockings made of rayon that sagged and drooped. Not having the option of wearing slacks in those days, most of us working girls painted our legs with a tan-colored goo used as a substitute for stockings. This came off on the inside of our dresses and was hard to wash off. Workers in vital industries were "frozen" in their jobs and couldn't change or quit (unless circumstances were dire.) Wages were also frozen, and hours were increased to 48 hours a week or more. From 1941 to 1948 or so no cars were produced for civilian use--most of our iron and steel went into tanks, guns, jeeps, planes, and so on. This wasn't of much concern to me, living in a rented room in Boston and commuting to work by bus or subway, but there certainly were many restrictions on travel. Servicemen traveled free on trains. I recall standing in the aisle of a train or sitting on my suitcase all the way from Boston to Berlin one Christmas. Entertainment was deeply affected by the absence of the thousands of men between 18 and 50. Orchestras and theater troupes were decimated, and many disbanded for the duration of the war. Every block of almost every town and city had its "air raid warden." This was an older man who voluntarily patrolled his neighborhood to make sure every house was darkened with blackout shades at night, and every streetlight was dimmed and shaded so as not to provide an easy target for enemy planes. That's when the wistful song was written: "When the Lights Go On Again All Over the World." It was eerie being out in the evening in darkened Boston. In 1943 I got a secretarial job in the Office of Price Administration, located on Court Street in Boston near the old City Hall. War agencies took over shore buildings, hotels, waterfront properties, boats, ships--they had almost unlimited powers. My hours were from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30, with half an hour for lunch, six days a week. My salary was $1440 a year and went up to $1620 after some months. The men working in this agency were recruited from their former businesses or professions because they felt needed, or perhaps because they had been unable to get supplies to continue their work. My boss, Mr. Kellar, had been a general contractor and was now in charge of keeping prices stable in the lumber industry in New England. The word "inflation" was new to us, and for purposes of motivation, all new employees took a 3- day course in how important it was to keep prices and wages stable during the war effort. I would say the effort was successful, although not without some hardship cases. Rents were also controlled, "frozen" at their present levels. One day at work I was opening mail for my department and came across a report from my father's company up in Berlin, the E. M. Cross Machine Company! All companies in the region had to report their price structure and wage information. My dad resented this kind of supervision by the government and its new laws, and before long he decided to sell his company and go into banking instead. (Continued on page 3)
		Any comments or questions? Contact louise@loesch.net S i t e d e s i g n b y W e b f a i r