On the homefront during WWII
The June 11, 1942, edition of the Atlanta Constitution shared an announcement from Washington, D.C., “Scrap salvage campaign will begin shortly.” The War Production Board asked that everyone across the country collect metal, rubber, fats and oils.
The following day, President Roosevelt addressed the nation by radio announcing, “We have an immediate need for huge quantities of rubber. We have asked the filling station operators to help, and they have generously and patriotically agreed to help, they and the oil companies which serve them.”
In addition to tires, citizens were encouraged to bring in rubber articles from around the house, including shoes, gloves, hot water bottles, bathing caps, and raincoats.
A short film titled “Salvage” was produced by the War Production Board and shown at movie theaters across the country. “Every home, every business, every farm is in that war. Every man, woman and child,” the film proclaimed, is asked to help.
Later that year, the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Constitution offered cash prizes to local schools with the highest collection of metal. The prize was $250 to the school with the largest collection by weight, and prizes to four schools with the highest average metal collection by weight, per student. The categories were one winner for Fulton County schools, DeKalb County schools, Decatur Schools and Atlanta schools.
Children in Dunwoody collecting metal and rubber during WWII. Photo from Anderson family collection.
Fulton County winners of the contest, announced in November of 1942, were Roswell School with 323 pounds of metal per pupil and a total 134,350 pounds of metal and Milton Grammar School in second place. Milton collected an average of 230 pounds per pupil and 77,095 pounds overall. (Atlanta Journal, Nov.18, 1942, “Roswell School Winner of Scrap Metal Contest”)
Other schools reported from the north part of Fulton County included Morgan Falls School with 5,070 pounds of metal and Hammond School with 35,700 pounds.
The winning school in DeKalb County was Rock Chapel School. Clairemont School won for the city of Decatur and Smillie School won among city of Atlanta schools.
The newspaper also reported that Sheltonville School collected the most metal among Black schools in Fulton County with 2,097 pounds. No prize is mentioned.
Those who attended Dunwoody Grammar School in the 1940’s; including Carlton Renfroe, Jeff Porter, Ken Anderson, Jane Autry and Carolyn Parker; all shared stories of war bond books which were filled with stamps purchased to help the war effort.
Jane Autry recalled the celebration when every student in a grade completed their WWII stamp books. The students would ring the school bell, which was in the attic. Sometimes it took two or three students to pull the rope and ring the heavy bell. Principal Elizabeth Davis believed the ceremony of ringing the bell encouraged the children to fill their stamp books.