Vintage work crew photos

[Jon]

Collecting scrap metal for the WWII war effort.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...w_fullsize.jpg

[Frank S]

Collecting scrap metal for the WWII war effort.

Fullsize image: https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net...w_fullsize.jpg

Us kids used to sit and listen to one of my uncles he was too young for service but he had many more interesting stories than my dad or other uncles who had gone off to war since none of them would talk much about what they did.
This 1 uncle though had many tales of how he worked in a gas station and would have to patch together peoples cars or trucks with what ever he could find then he and the other kids would scour the fields and dumps for any scrap of not only metal but glass as well to donate at the collection places sometimes the guy running the collection site would pay them something for the things they brought in.
Not everyone took part in the war effort as I am told but if you saw a kid wearing a boy scout uniform you could bet their every waking moment when otherwise not engaged in their regular boyhood chores they would be going door to door at times in hopes of collecting things for the war effort

[PJs]

Great Pic, Jon. Very Moving and shows the spirit of the times and young people doing the Right Things.

[ranald]

Team spirit & all wearing shoes/boots. Sometimes it takes a terrible incident to unite folk like those young ones.

[Toolmaker51]

Collecting scrap metal for the WWII war effort.

As a veteran I'm certainly no dove; nor warmonger. But I can tell you this. I have all kinds of veteran family members and others old enough to relay accurate accounts of this period in time.
During our War Between the States, General W.T. Sherman perfected campaign making civilians of the Confederacy not care to support the effort because it impacted them directly. He put this to work, "War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." Everything; ransacked farms, railways, loss of possessions, material goods, funds or revenue with potential to bolster the South.
General Sherman was not entirely ruthless, such is the case with better part of Louisiana. And who became the first superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy, later known as Louisiana State University?

In WWII, American war effort was a 'Community Project'; not so much negative propaganda about the Axis, but lots of Mom and apple pie. And likely the greatest advertising campaign of all time.
The group of boys pictured [even if staged] felt every bit instrumental as their Rosie Riveter mothers.

No one can account how much any of these materials actually made it into aircraft or tanks. It didn't need too. Collections made home front engaged by contributing too; not altogether different than cheering your team on. Rationing too; you did without so those afield better managed to conduct the mission.
Ranald mentions they all have boots/ shoes; well fed, clean, haircuts too. Not the case in every Allied country, too be sure. We could only do so much...
Be so interesting, approximating what percentage of full manufacturing been achieved. Certainly very high, I'm betting it wasn't 100%.

[Moby Duck]

I once read that this was largely a propaganda exercise to foster the idea that those on the home front were contributing to the war effort. Apparently in the UK, very little of it was actually used, and there are supposed to be mountains of it, buried for recovery in case they ever really need it. In London in the early 1960’s there were still many buildings and churches with the remnants of cut off steel fences that hadn’t been repaired. Being so vast, and having such good mineral resources etc, it is hard to imagine the USA ever being in a position where melting down someone’s donated aluminium cooking pot would make much of a difference.

[mklotz]

I once read that this was largely a propaganda exercise to foster the idea that those on the home front were contributing to the war effort. Apparently in the UK, very little of it was actually used, and there are supposed to be mountains of it, buried for recovery in case they ever really need it. In London in the early 1960’s there were still many buildings and churches with the remnants of cut off steel fences that hadn’t been repaired. Being so vast, and having such good mineral resources etc, it is hard to imagine the USA ever being in a position where melting down someone’s donated aluminium cooking pot would make much of a difference.

I've read that too and had the same thought. There came a point in the war where we were building a Victory ship and dozens of war planes along with untold other armaments every day. That's easily thousands of tons of metals required on a daily basis. A couple of pounds of pots and pans and rusty fences would be the proverbial drop in the bucket.

Remember that at the start of the war there was a strong, and outspoken isolationist spirit in the USA. Pearl Harbor silenced those folks but didn't necessarily change their outlook, particularly so relative to the war in Europe. No doubt Roosevelt remembered how sneaky he had to be with the Lend-Lease program to aid the UK and that prompted him to decide that involving the populace in the effort was essential.

Washington may well have felt that convincing people to participate in the war effort was an essential element in sustaining a fight that was going to go on for a very long time. It's long been true that "The first casualty of war is truth." so a little (admittedly white) lie about collecting metal was not going to upset the government.

[MeJasonT]

Yes gents, you are correct. The iron railings etc were taken by the instruction of the government to supply the iron and steel works for the manufacture of bombs etc. The rumour that the metal was substandard was also passed around. I cant imagine if they did need it that they wouldn't, they must have used some as making stuff would require it.

So What Really Happened to our Railings?

We were actually bringing iron parts in from the continent to support our war effort. I worked in marine salvage and we were often working on liberty ships like Autolycus and Namur (old white star line steamers). These ships had tea, tin, crane and train parts and sheets of natural rubber, not forgetting the bullion used to trade for materials. both wrecks had approximately 22 bars of silver and 11 bars of gold on board which we recovered.

Our home and village had its railings and ornaments taken. As a mark of remembrance for the centenary 1914 ~2014 I replaced the railings on our garden wall, granted they are mild steel now and probably more use in the next war, wave goodbye again. Having relatives who served in both great wars i felt it was the least i could do to pay respect to their sacrifice and that of their comrades.

[PJs]

There were more than a few "More than white lies" that happened during those times and in most times of war. The big 3 car makers and others came out smelling like roses with paybacks on both sides and off/from the people...and of course the banks for financing it and perhaps even starting it.

The thing about this picture, Rosie, war bond and newsreel campaigns to me, is the focused Energy on a United common goal, especially after Pearl Harbor. Not much different than Kennedy's speech about going to the moon, and doing it ahead of schedule. No doubt this was a staged pic with the boys wearing shoes and dressed well, but to me I can see in their faces that they are Getting to help out with their parents in a small and perhaps insignificant way...but I'm not sure it was. As for resources, sure we had/have them but to me again it's the Strategic focus/energy to be able organize that kind of production efficiencies in such short time.

To me its the collective "Juice/Energy" that forms powerful bond-forces, allowing creativity to bring something forward or to surpass obstacles or oppression...the key is knowing when you are being duped and whether or not you want to participate and at what level. The great terms, "We the People" may have been coined from the preamble to the constitution in the US but is applicable globally to all human beings to use this energy collectively...again the keys are based in discernment through the pitch fever of polarity, greed, power and such. Millennia of this is evident and grown to be AI and 100 years psychodynamics as a pseudo science in modern times. Whether or not we revert to insect culture or not will depend on We the People as individuals and finding/creating that collective Juice to do the Right Thing...what ever that is for each and all of us.

PJ

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."
Anne Frank

[Jon]

Remember that at the start of the war there was a strong, and outspoken isolationist spirit in the USA. Pearl Harbor silenced those folks but didn't necessarily change their outlook, particularly so relative to the war in Europe.

Relevant: