#life during war time

Glued into my Grandma Alice’s scrapbook is this event flyer from my Grandfather’s work. Stewart Warner made various gauges and instruments for The War, so big events of this nature aren’t that surprising. What is, is the date. The only September 8th on a Tuesday during WWII (and the immediate years following) was in 1942. That’s still rather early for U.S. involvement. Then it occurred to me that this might have been more of a war rally than an awards recognition. While I can’t seem to find anything on the internet about this event, I think that I might be on to something. This time period was during the first major U.S. push in the Pacific, and about a month into the very long Battle of Guadalcanal. Though while the First War Loan Drive didn’t begin until November of ‘42, I still think it is safe to say that besides some presentations it was also a sort of pep rally.  

Along with all of the WWII gas rationing items I recently posted is this form. It apparently had to be filled out by anyone that needed supplemental gas rations; in my Grandpa’s case that would be for his “B” sticker he received because his work was considered vital to the war effort. The form was also used by people that required extra rations because of business needs, driving to school (I’d assume college), an extra long commute, or working for the public welfare. 

In this day and age of fears about an intrusive government I can’t imagine this form being accepted. Not only does it require the driver to keep track of their mileage, it also needs to be signed by the place of employment and everyone in your carpool. If such a thing were proposed today we’d all be exposed to non-stop rants and ravings about “Big Government” trying to destroy our freedoms.