Wednesday, July 14, 2010

VTT - Women During World War II




This postcard is one of a series of WAC (Women's Army Corps) comic postcards published by Beals during World War II.

The WAC was the women's branch of the United States Army. It began as an auxiliary unit in 1942 and was converted to full status in 1943. About 150,000 women served in the WAAC and WAC during World War II. Women were allowed to serve in the Army and other military branches due to a shortage of men. The WAC was disbanded in 1978. Since then, women have served in the same Army units as men.

The Betty Crocker booklet Your Share is an advertising booklet published by General Mills in 1943. Its purpose was to give women serving on the "Home Front" helpful information about adjustments to make in menus and recipes due to rationing and shortages of various foods. The Food Rationing Program began in 1942. Rationed foods included sugar, meats, butter, fat, oils, some cheese, and certain packaged and processed foods.



Please click on the pages below to enlarge them to readable size.









I'm participating in Vintage Thingie Thursday

13 comments:

  1. Times did change. Great post card.
    Happy VTT. olive

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  2. My aunt served in the WACs during WWII. That is neat that the Betty Crocker people put out a specialized cookbook for the times.

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  3. Thank goodness time does change some things. I recall these time frames very well. A very nice vintage post.

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  4. This was really interesting, I especially liked the part about odd hours for meals and people working the swing and night shift, as I have done that for a long time. Made a lot of sense to me!! Great post. Have a great VTT!

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  5. Wow what a very cool card. And the recipe book looks very interesting :-)

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  6. Fun post, I love these finds. Don's family still has his father and grandmothers' ration cards from the war, such fun ephemera!

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  7. that is great postcard! and very interesting post.. and the recipes looks good to try.. will you? teehee

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  8. That was very interesting and sort of scary too. I liked the page (16 or 17) that used combat verbage to describe using vegetables. Very cute.

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  9. I have known a few ladies that were in WACs. They have pretty neat memories to share. Cute post.

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  10. We could make those recipes today! They're much healthier than fast food! Thanks for showing the booklet. My mother saved our ration books and gave me mine. I don't remember rationing because I was too young.

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  11. it's good to be reminded of the past to appreciate just how good we have it! i can't even begin to imagine what food rationing must have been like. great post! x

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  12. I love your vintage recipe booklet! I found some ration books in my mom's scrapbook, so hard to imagine what that was like to those of us who came afterward.

    Happy VTT,
    Sally

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