• We Are All In It:  The Home Front During the World Wars 
• A Fair Share
• Invest in Victory
• A Woman's Work
• The Local Front:  World War II

We Are All In It: The Home Front During the World Wars

Although the battles were not fought on American soil, the world wars of the twentieth century affected the lives of all Americans. Most important, of course, was the absence of husbands, sons, and fathers from the family circle; but even families who did not send a loved one to the front were encouraged to take part in the war effort by patriotic self-sacrifice and adjustments in life style.

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  A Fair Share

Rationing was universal during World War II. Every household was issued ration books and housewives counted their ration coupons carefully when planning shopping trips. "Victory gardens" were planted to supplement rationed goods and to make more food available to send overseas. The idea of coordinating food supplies to ensure an equitable distribution among soldiers and civilians, however, was not new. During World War I the U.S. Food Administration was created to achieve the same objective. The bureau encouraged people to alter their eating habits to save high-energy foods for the fighting men.

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Invest in Victory

Wars cost money, and twentieth century world wars, with their massive deployments, new technologies, and highly-trained soldiers, were the most expensive conflicts ever fought. Governments poured billions of tax dollars into the effort, but private citizens were asked to invest as well. "Liberty loans" were promoted during World War I and Americans were urged to buy bonds and "war savings stamps." War bonds were also produced during World War II, and their purchase was considered both a patriotic gesture and a wise investment in certain victory.

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 A Woman’s Work

"Sixteen men in overalls behind every man in uniform" was the statistic supplied by the United States government in 1941 to emphasize the importance of the supply services in a modern war. The need to put so many men in uniform, however, drastically cut the surplus manpower available to fill these positions. It was estimated that only five workers were needed per soldier in World War I, but even this figure put a heavy strain upon the labor force. The solution, during both wars, was to encourage women to fill the void. "Rosie the Riveter" is one of the best-remembered images of World War II, but Rosie’s grandmother may have responded to the YWCA’s call during World War I: "For Every Fighter a Woman Worker."

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 The Local Front: World War II

During World War II, defense councils were formed in every county to be prepared in the event of enemy attack. The Albany County Defense Council had a full roster of personnel and created plans to cope with such perils as gas attacks, delayed action bombs, and epidemic disease. Albany County did not suffer any of these disasters, but the citizens participated in the war effort by cooperating with rationing, buying war bonds, and participating in clothing and food drives to assist those displaced by the war.

Almost everyone was affected by World War II. Lives were changed and families uprooted far from the fighting theaters. Food, gasoline, liquor, and tobacco were all rationed; and, in order to get a share, even children like thirteen year old Carolyn Hollister received ration books. Carolyn’s father, George E. Hollister, was head of the Department of Elementary Education at the University of Wyoming. He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and taught map and chart courses in Army Air Force pre-flight schools in California, Virginia, and Wisconsin. In order to keep the family together, his wife and daughter followed him on these postings. The family returned to Laramie after the War.

The technology of warfare had not advanced far enough in the 1910s to cause the citizens of Albany County to fear a direct attack by any of the belligerent powers; but the plight of civilians in Europe concerned the people of Laramie. In 1918 the Laramie Woman’s Club "adopted" Edmonde Fillaire, a ten year old French girl whose father had been killed in the war. During the next three years the Woman’s Club contributed more than four hundred dollars through the Red Cross to support Edmonde and her mother. In return the club received letters, cards, and photographs from their "goddaughter."

Souvenir first communication program of Edmonde Fillaire, 1919. Laramie Woman's Club Records.

Envelope from Edmonde Fillaire, ca. 1919. Addressed to Mary Bellamy, president of the Laramie Woman’s Club. Laramie Woman’s Club Records.

Letter from Edmonde Fillaire, November 11, 1921. Edmonde had developed into a talented artist and hadlearned to write in English by 1921. Laramie Woman’s Club Records.

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Albany County Veterans Narratives

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