1943
Memories of World War II: rationing of certain foods (meat, sugar, and shortening) and gasoline; the huge scrap metal pile on Regent Avenue; eyeing members of the local draft board as if they were Gestapo agents; the billboard down town listing all GI’s with either a blue or gold (if deceased) star; envying the guy with four good tires; meatless Tuesdays; lack of cigarettes; ersatz candy bars; turning in bacon grease (but learning bacon grease made marvelous pie crusts); and learning to drink unsweetened coffee to save enough sugar for a cake. Local residents recruited as air raid wardens donned white helmets and arm bands as they made sure all lights were out when practice sirens sounded.
In June Sargent Albert John Smith, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Smith, 3708 Regent Avenue North., was killed in action. Smith, a Robbinsdale High School Graduate was killed in in North Africa. He entered the service with the national Guard in 1941.
Because they gave so much volunteer time to the war effort, the Draft Board and Ration Board members should be included here. Draft Board members from Robbinsdale included Victor Hanson, Harry St. Cyr, Sr., Jules Sessing, Rollie Forrey, Len Seaberg, and Ed Schuller. Those serving on the Ration Board included Georgette Boies, Dr. Clarence 0. Bergland, Jack Trump, Milo Mielke, Free Bayard, Thomas Curry, William Wolfe, Sr., and Sven Grundstrom. Clerks included Ada Dorn, Harriet Heath, secretary, and Angela Stinchfield, These people tried very hard to carry out their duties. One recalled getting a request for extra gasoline to haul away the rabbit droppings. When asked how many rabbits he had, the man replied, “six.”
In October, the Minneapolis noted that Robbinsdale’s village blacksmith, Haakon Christensen had been on the job for 55 years. The papers praised Christensen for his necessary war work repairing agricultural implements for farmers. Christensen told the paper he quit shoeing horses in 1921 because the last one he shod kicked him up to the rafters splintering his elbow and cutting his face.
This post is part of a series loosely based on the book Robbinsdale Then and Now by Helen Blodgett.