WW II

By this time the second World War was at its height and was being felt in everything we tried to do. Every man between eighteen and forty-five had to register for military service. They were then graded according to their fitness or their degree of necessity to the war effort. I was exempt from military duty because, as a farmer, I was considered to be necessary to produce food stuffs necessary to the war effort. Many things were rationed and this included gasoline, tires and many kinds of food and hardware. Other things just disappeared from the stores and so were not available. Everyone was issued ration books which contained stamps to be used to purchase some foods that were in short supply, even alcoholic drinks, of which I think everyone was allowed one bottle a month. As a farmer I was allowed to buy more gasoline than others because I needed it to run the tractor and farm truck. Helpers to work on the farm became scarce or unavailable. Many women, even from rural areas, took jobs in factories, mills, foundries, etc. keeping those places going day and night for maximum production.