First movie, a reward for taking part in war effort

The long anticipated end to World War Two in Europe came May 7, 1945, when Germany surrendered and any active operation ceased on May 8, 1945.

I was only three when the war was declared, quite unaware of world affairs. But as I grew a little older and started school I became aware of the seriousness of the conflict.

To my little girl mind this was the most devastating event that ever happened to the world. I had done my part fighting the war on the home front. But the end of the war brought two serious disappointments. I felt that the seriousness of the end of the conflict surely warranted a whole year’s vacation from school. Instead we got one day. Secondly, I longed for the end of the news on the radio. My sister and I were not allowed to talk when the news was on. I thought the end of the war meant no more news. But the radio station found no difficulty in finding more to report.

Many efforts to do our part in Canada were voluntary. Some were not. Rationing meant that each one of us had a booklet containing  coupons. This limited the amount of the rationed goods each one of us could have. Gas rationing began April 1, 1942. Each coupon had the licence plate number of the owner’s car and no one else could buy gas for that car. The rationing of meat began May 27, 1943. Meat could not be sold without the buyer turning in a coupon.

As you can imagine, there were ways to circumvent this regulation in the farming community. I remember an aunt and uncle of mine taking a side of pork to Toronto and worrying how they would get it into their house without anyone seeing them. There was no saving up for a celebration. Each month’s coupon became invalid at the end of the month. Other commodities rationed were coffee, tea, sugar and butter.

In many large centres blackouts were mandatory. Not in this area though. When night fell heavy drapes had to be pulled across windows and pinned. Inspectors were sent around checking.

Volunteer efforts were many and as plentiful as the imagination could supply.

Knitting was something most people could do. Yarn in military colours was available. Socks were most frequently knit but also gloves, helmets, sweaters, and caps. These were turned over to the Red Cross Societies but also packed in care packages and sent to individuals.

School children were sent out collecting milk weed pods and the fuzz was used for floatation devices.

In Creemore, the children were thanked by being shown a movie in the Town Hall one afternoon. It was my first movie.

Recycling was the order of the day. Rags were collected. I don’t know why. Rural people were asked to find any scrap pieces of rubber around the place and to set it out by the mailbox for collection. Tires were impossible to buy. One man in Creemore tried packing his worn tires with rags to get a few more miles but it didn’t work. Scrap metal was also collected. Young people went around gathering up newspapers which were stored in a shed behind The Creemore Star office.

Teachers were encouraged to have Junior Red Cross meetings in their classes.

We had a jar with a cardboard lid with a slot in the top for collecting our contribution of pennies and nickels. The amount collected from each school was reported in the paper. The older students at Creemore Public School knit facecloths out of soft cotton yarn, boys as well as girls.

Victory gardens were promoted. We were to plant all land suitable for cultivation to increase the food supply for home consumption.

The Women’s Institutes and church groups packed boxes for each local enlisted man, and also the women who had signed up. Included were knit goods, cigarettes and candy and encouraging messages. St. Luke’s in Creemore sent clothing parcels to bombed out communities in England.

The Women’s Institutes had regular dances in Creemore’s Town Hall to entertain the soldiers from Camp Borden as it was called then. The men were brought in buses. Young women and older married ones came to dance with the soldiers. Orchestras were usually volunteered. A light lunch was also served.

Old and young alike were encouraged to buy War Savings Stamps, certificates and bonds. The stamps were available in classrooms and in the post office. Twenty-five cents paid for a stamp. Once 16 were collected they could be turned in for a certificate. Four dollars invested would bring $5 when the certificate matured in seven years. All homes were canvassed for War Savings Bonds. They could be purchased for as little as $50.

Volunteers were asked to give blood to help save the lives of wounded soldiers.

A big thank you to Gertie Gowan, John Montgomery, Gerry Blackburn, Norma Lawler and Cyndy Reycraft for sharing their memories and to the Purple Hills Art and Heritage Society for arranging for Creemore newspapers to be put on microfilm, available at our library. They are a valuable source of information.