1928 LaSalle Model 303 Convertible Coupe by Fisher
Posted on 11/19/2019 2:39:50 PM PST by NRx
How Americans coped with the shortages of the war years.
People in the city were really short changed.
Although I wasnt born during that time, my aunts and uncles who could not serve-three were working for the FWD plant in WI and were not allowed to go, used to travel by train to our place once a month and get meat and cheese since we had cows.
They used to talk about it when I was a kid.
I was born in the early 50s, so I wasn’t around during WWII.
However, my grandparent, who lived in Memphis, raised and ate a lot of rabbit during the war. The cages were still in their back yard when I was a child.
While we are on the subject, maybe someone can help me fill in some details...
My grandmother worked in what I believe she said was an aircraft factory in Memphis. I believe she also said it had been a Fisher body plant before the war.
Does this ring a bell with anyone?
Your comment about your father having virtually unlimited gasoline to run farm equipment during the war made me think of the statement made during this film presentation that “Congress Critters” had unlimited gasoline coupons, while the plebes were suffering. Has always been the same, hasn’t it?
It appears there was a plant in Memphis associated with the Fisher Body company. They are a company that was once renowned for their coach work on ultra-luxury cars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_Body
https://usautoindustryworldwartwo.com/Fisher%20Body/fisherbodymemphis.htm
I was eight when the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor. Only remember the white hot hatred of the Japanese, but by 1945 was into scrap metal drives, selling bacon grease (making ammo) for 2c a pound and meatless Tuesdays.
Lived in NYC. My dad was too old for the military but worked in a Seaman's YMCA and was able to bring home luxuries like shrimp and butter. The merchantmen talked of seeing Russians unwrap the pound bricks of butter and slap it on the axles of their carts. We didn't feel guilty using bootleg butter after that.
In school, they had a drive to buy colored War Band Saving Stamps - 10c were carmine, 25c were emerald and 50c (gasp!) were violet. We had one rich kid in the class who always bought a violet stamp each week. The books we put the stamps in would tell us at what point we had bought enough for a helmet, boots, etc. In later years, I thought that was pretty slick marketing.
That was my first thought as well - thinking of my parents.
My wife is friends with a 90-year old gal from England. Just the other day she made a sandwich for her. Baked beans on toast. That was one of her treats in London during the war. I think she said the only time they had meat was some fish every week, and perhaps once every-other week some beef or pork. “I never asked how we were able to get that.”
Thank you for this piece of information. Very interesting!
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