1942 -  Determination in the face of Defeat & Delusion

Residents in Davidson County, North Carolina fought World War II on two fronts – for every local citizen who served his or her county in the military, family and friends remained behind to wage their own war on "The Homefront."  The information presented is from Davidson County’s local newspaper accounts from late 1939 through shortly after the end of WWII in 1945.  The information was gathered from headlines, editorials, classified ads, and the society pages printed in "The Times" in Thomasville, NC and "The Dispatch" in Lexington, NC.  What emerges is a picture of everyday Davidson County citizens learning to cope with the reality of world war.  There are stories of tireless volunteers and scrap drives, fund raising and blackout procedures.  And, as with any other county in America, you’ll also find a bit about those who sought to evade the draft, the difficulty of conforming to ration restrictions, and even the authorities attempts to discourage wartime bootlegging.

1/1/42--Patrolman warns “Tire stealing is a serious offense.”

1/5/42-- Local men (over 28), previously deferred now eligible to be called up.
-- Tire rationing begins today. 

1/8/42 -- Air Raid threat designated by color code system... yellow, blue, red. ----- Full page ad  – 'What to do in an Air Raid.'

1/12/42-- Schools to sell Defense Stamps.
-- American Library Association seeks books for servicemen.

1/13/42     GERMAN U-BOATS BEGIN SINKING SHIPS OFF COAST IN "OPERATION DRUMBEAT"

1/15/42-- Ad tells how to distinguish the nationality of aircraft.
-- Photo: “wardrobe doldrums remedied economically” (sew your own!)
-- Binder twine may be in short supply.
-- Ad – 'get your International Harvester  parts now before they are rationed.'
-- A tanker sunk off NC coast – “Subs as thick as Catfish.” 

1/22/42-- 2 mores ships sunk off coast.
-- Defense Stamp chain letter seen in Thomasville.
-- 1st casualties from county at Pearl Harbor, William Cicero Miller of  Thomasville (credited with downing a Jap plane) – also EM/3C Harold Tussey, son of Arthur Tussey of Welcome (lost on Battleship U.S.S.Arizona). See 'Related Topics' for more on Miller.
-- 9 cartons (686 garments) shipped by Lexington  Red Cross; new materials on order.
-- Davidson County schoolmasters have a plan: Girls will be taught to can foods, sew bandages and other things for defense.
-- Local men seek Air Training – A.L. Disher, Johnny Reeves.
-- Ad: sirloin steak is $0.47/lb, potatoes $0.05/lb.
-- Victory Book Campaign has a goal of 1,500 to 2,000 books from Davidson.
-- Music in Defense: Davidson County ladies are seeking phonographs and records for servicemen.
-- 50 soldiers from Ft. Bragg areto be invited to President’s Birthday Ball (part of March of Dimes Campaign).
-- School “Defense Courses” teaching welding, auto mechanics, and sheet metal work are open to those from 16 - 25.
-- County plans to add air raid drills to fire drills.
-- Editorial – “daylight savings time here to stay;” it was tried out in fall of ’41 on a temporary limited basis. A law has passed instituting DST for duration of war plus 6 months.
-- A normal supply of sugar is likely for the time being, but some stores are limiting purchases.

1/26/42-- Model A and Model T tires are classed as obsolete and may be available despite rationing.
-- Evans Motor Company contributes a days wages ($25.50) to the Red Cross.
-- Photo of what a “War time Miss will be missing" is labeled to show what a girl will  have to do without.
-- Photo of girls in swimsuits. Due to scarcity of dyes the suits are all “flesh colored.”

1/29/42-- First Davidson County  deserter during war time is arrested here.
-- Thomasville Jr. Chamber announces that 10 tons of waste paper has been collected.
-- War Production Board recommends simpler apparel to save fabric.
-- Editorial asks why there are no defense plants near here.

2/2/42-- 67 Davidson County farms have sorghum mills and can make molasses if sugar supplies dwindle.
-- Defense stamps continue to sell well in schools.
-- Lexington Red Cross sewing project is to be enlarged. 10 sewing machines and operataors are meeting in a room above Dr. W.B. Hunt on E Center St.
-- Ground Hog’s prediction of spring will be censored under national censorship rules.

2/5/42-- US Aris my planning for a force of 8 million men.
-- Schools change opening time to 9 DST from 8:30 EST (1/2 hour earlier).
-- Victory Garden campaign begins to organize locally. Red Cross donations of $15,000 are near double the quota.
-- District Board hears 62 draft appeals from 12 surrounding counties including 9 from Davidson County.
-- Civilians are asked to register for Civilian Defense.

2/9/42 -- Automobile purchases are to be rationed, controlled by tire rationing board.
-- “Know your 4’s” – some fire alarms have a 4 ring segment; an air drill has 4 sets of 4 rings; street lights will remain on for 10 minutes after alarm sounded to allow people to reach home.
-- 250,000 lbs scrap metal collected by purchase in county.
-- Adult bicycling still not in evidence in Davidson County .
-- Tires stolen from crippled vehicle on Hwy 29.
-- 75 white men from District 1 drafted in single call
-- Editorial – “why not GIVE scrap metal” to the war effort?
-- More young women seen as clerks in stores due to declining male population.
-- Used car classifieds mention condition of tires.

2/10/42-- 66 men inducted from Thomasville District 2. 

2/12/42-- Local dry cleaner offers “defense stamps” for coat hangers.
-- Dance to be held... all proceeds go to buy defense bonds.
-- Although there are Registration points at Dunbar, Southmont, or Midway African-American schools, black men can register anywhere.
-- 20 men  (carpenters) sent by employment security office to defense project at confidential location.
-- Victory garden suggestions: buy seed and canning supplies now, fertilize heavily, till well, etc
-- Paramount News film of Pearl Harbor to run for 2 days at the Carolina.

2/16/42-- Prisoners in jail and at “chain gang camp” are reminded that, on release, they must register for the draft.
-- 100 finish carpenters needed for defense project at undisclosed location.
-- 479 Victory Books to ship to servicemen (about 1/3 of goal).
-- In Lexington, “City Bus Lines” is established. It will  run to Dacotah and Erlanger;  bus tires are not rationed.
-- Re-capped tires included in rationing.

2/19/42-- First new auto sold under rationing in Thomasville.

2/23/42-- 66 draftees plus 11 volunteers from District 1, “about the same” from Thomasville District is largest call to date.
-- 22 African-American men from District 1, same expected from Thomasville.

2/26/42-- Movement to try to have an Army camp in the North Davidson area gains a bit of momentum. Idea is being supported by civic and business leaders.
-- All Tire re-capping halted for at least 1 month.
-- Movie “Sgt York” returns for 3rd time.
-- PoliticalCartoon: Uncle Sam carrying the burden of Far Eastern defeats...”we can do it.”
-- Photo: actress Joan Leslie models new air raid outfit – zippered 1 pc “jiffy suit” w/4 pockets for “carrying odds and ends to the shelter.”

3/3/42-- 11,041 gas masks shipped to Thomasville for civilian use in case of attack.  

3/5/42-- Red Cross production group moves to new county building with 7 sewing machines. 3 machines located at Erlanger sewing room. Volunteers can wear Red Cross Service pin ($0.50 ea.). Exhibition of articles that have been sewn and knitted.
-- Jr Red Cross producing items for hospitals in schools. 12 sewing groups in county: Midway, Reeds, Tyro, Welcome, Arcadia, Churchland, Davis-Townsend, Denton, Hedricks Grove, Linwood, Silver Valley, Erlanger Sewing Room.
-- Grimes Mill ad:  feed for increased production.
-- Photo: Cowboy stars Gene Autry and Smiley Burnette buy Defense Bonds.

3/9/42-- Preliminaries for rationing sugar underway.
-- Lexington Air Raid wardens meet – “enemy air raids considered likely.”
-- Lexington’s Mayor cracks his upper plate eating BBQ chicken. 

3/12/42-- Truck rationing to be handled by federal officials in Charlotte.
-- Davidson County  receiving 59,000 ration books. Book expected to have 28 sugar stamps. No date set yet.
-- Joint buying of farm equipment urged by USDA War Board.
-- Movie: “When Air Raids Strike” March of Time presentation at the Carolina Theater.

3/16/42-- Lexington folks taking to bicycles in earnest: collecting insurance premiums, delivering groceries. 150 bikes sold in previous 2 weeks. Women’s models scarce.
-- Editorial: no firecrackers for Christmas.
-- A birth announcement for Rosie the Riveter! Defense  Aircraft  Work Training opening for women here. Riveting equipment has been received here and training is now open. “Women are capable of being trained in many operations and they are most apt to secure employment as riveters.” 

3/17/42-- Hitchhiking GI steals auto from Thomasville man.

3/19/42--Tire thievery continues; 5 new tires stolen from dealer in Denton. May be work of tire theft ring.
-- Cartoon: female office worker offers to accept part of her salary in Defense Bonds.

3/23/42 -- Lexington’s Robert F. Sink promoted to Lt. Col. 
-- Scrap yard on Hwy 52 North of Erlanger taking in large amounts of metal and old tires, mostly from rural Davidson County.

3/26/42-- Monday is last day for cuffs on men’s trousers; merchants to trim them off and return the scraps to manufacturers.
-- Since Jan 1, forty-three local boys (15 ½ - 25) sent to NYA Defense Training centers in (whites) Wilmington, Asheville, Greenville, Raleigh, Durham, Hickory Grove. (African-American) Fayetteville, Elizabeth City.
-- New cyclists routinely breaking traffic laws.
-- OPA orders halt to sugar sales for 10 days beginning 4/27 in preparation for rationing.

3/30/42-- Kenneth Lanier of Welcome first to purchase new car under rationing in Lexington District.
-- Full page ad: Farm for Freedom – Fight the Japs with Scrap, Uncle Sam needs more Milk. -
-- Recruiters seeking more Army Aviation recruits.

3/31/42-- Thomasville is forming a Home Guard unit.

4/1/42       AMERICAN CITIZENS OF JAPANESE DESCENT FORCED INTO "RELOCATION CENTERS"

4/2/42-- Government to forbid manufacture of automobiles,  metal toys, and appliances after 5/31/42.

4/6/42-- Local bicycle stocks nearly depleted; rationing expected.
--Heating oil to be rationed. Newly purchased stoves not eligible for fuel allotment.
-- Editorial: those that merely “wanted” bicycles rushed in ahead of those who had a legitimate need.

4/9/42-- News of fall of  Bataan.
-- Editorial: Thomasville women being trained in furniture manufacture.
-- Women sought for Defense Training. Must be HS grads. 10 – 24 wks training at NC State, UNC Chapel Hill, Women's College (now UNCG) & Wake Forest. Training will be in: Aircraft inspection, mechanical drawing, diesel engineering, fabric inspection and testing, topographical and instrument work, radio communications, UHF techniques, chemical testing, electronics, practical physics, defense production management, accounting, personnel mgmt., production planning, time and motion study.  

4/13/42-- 50 gallon copper still found by deputies in Boone Township is donated to scrap metal drive. 
-- A "Liberty Limerick:"  A teacher explaining inflation- buy Bonds to safeguard the Nation.”
-- Photo of torpedoed tanker being towed into Morehead City.
-- Business and Professional Women’s Club meets; speaker's topic is 'The Cost of Defense.'
-- Photo: the New War Sweater shows woman wearing bare midriff sweater, saving yarn.
-- Robbins lot (corner of S. State and W 5th) donated for use by Girl Scouts in planting a Victory Garden. Boy Scouts to use lot provided by Mrs. Daphne Rose.
-- No reports of local men at Bataan.

4/16/42-- Another expansion of registration - Men 45 – 65 to register.
-- Railroad officials warn children not to dig “shelters” into sides of Railway cuts.
-- Girls now eligible to drive school busses.
-- Ad: “Your last opportunity to get new (list of appliances) – Clinard Electric in W-S.

4/18/42      “DOOLITTLE RAID” ON TOKYO

4/20/42-- Photo – Davidson County men in demo parachute jump in Winston-Salem shows Lt. Col. Sink & Pvt. O.F. Leonard.
-- Sugar rationing registration set for May 4 through 6. Sales to be halted for a week. Those having over 2 lbs. on hand will have stamps deducted from their total of 28. Local police to provide protection for booklets.
-- Movies take on warlike tone… “Yank in the RAF” & "The Fleets In,”  playing in Lexington. 
-- Aircraft construction training being offered in three  8-hour shifts in Lexington Schools. Course lasts eight 40-hour weeks. Husband-wife teams may find work together. 8 Graduates sent to Martin Aircraft in Baltimore in previous week.
-- Ad: Grubb Motor Co. will trade used cars with good tires for lumber or livestock.
-- Ad: New 1942 cars available. Lists eligible groups and requirements.

4/23/42-- Nurses Aid course offered at Davidson Hospital – any capable woman eligible.
-- Registration for 45 to 65 set for 4/27. About 5,000 expected  for county.
-- 32 African-Americans called, to leave 4/27.

4/27/42-- 43 whites called; includes some married men.
-- Blackout test in north Davidson and Thomasville. Results called “good”.----- Pool in Lexington city park may not open due to lack of chlorine. ----- 3 WWI vets, John F. -- --- Leonard (Welcome) and Harvey R. Shoaf and Dewitt S. Peninger of Lexington, registered today. They had registered and served together in 1917.  

 4/30/42-- War reduces number of male HS graduates in county. In some cases the female/male ratio is 10 - 1.
-- Up to 5lbs additional sugar available for each ration book holder for canning purposes.
-- War Bond purchase pledge card – to be used in band purchase campaign.
-- 2002 “old men” registered in Lexington district.
-- 32 African-Americans who left for camp included George Singleton, Boy Scout leader. Scouts attended his sendoff.
-- Tyro community Victory Garden planned. 2 acres donated for use by John Long. Local PTA donates seed. Ben Long loans a horse team,  Clarence Swicegood loans a mule,  John Long , 12 loads of manure. 800 tomato plants to be set out later.
-- Photo: Sixth grade pupils of Miss Nannie Smith at Linwood school have raised hothouse plants to take home for Victory Gardens.
-- 44-year-old Richard Draughn volunteers. Only 1 year under limit. He served in WWI and has a wife and daughter. He thought there was a job to be done and he wanted to do his part.
 
4/31/42 -- Ration Board has over 100 more applicants than tires to allocate.

5/4/42 -- Bond Pledge campaign underway.
-- There is a rumor that Air Cadet Training facility may be located in Davidson County.
-- Tire quota cut again. Only 13 new passenger vehicle tires for May. -
-- Grocery and other deliveries to be limited to only one a day to save fuel and tires.
-- Next gas rationing scheduled for  May 12 - 14.

5/6/42     SURRENDER OF THE PHILIPPINES

5/7/42 -- About ¼ of 40 selectees sent in latest quota were rejected on physical grounds.
-- “Hundreds” sought for construction project at Camp Butner.
-- 21,500 registered for sugar ration books in 3 days in Lexington district.
-- Coupon: Mothers of servicemen treated to movie – “Ball of Fire” with Gary Cooper ; but each must pay $0.03 “war tax.” 

5/11/42-- Over 500 people have registered for Civil Defense in Lexington.
-- Gasoline registration to begin – 5 types of cards to be given out:  A is for 'non-essential,' B1, B2, B3 are for  'increasing degrees of necessity,'  X is unlimited (for doctors, police, taxis, trucks, etc.). Farm equipment requires separate requisition.
-- County has over 52,000 sugar rationing registrants,  only 952 less than 1940 census!
-- USO campaign for $10,000 to begin shortly.
-- An estimated 1,000 people from area have been sent to defense jobs in other locations.
Jr. Red Cross have filled their quotas, will resume when school starts again.
-- 150 women giving 2 hours per week in sewing rooms. New project, “Utility Bags," will contain a diary, a jackknife, a comb, a notebook, envelopes, shaving cream, cards, and a sewing kit. Contents to cost approx $0.50Donors sought.

5/12/42-- It is noted that people noted are storing gas in expectation of rationing.

5/18/42-- Defense bond pledges nearly $200,000.
-- USO campaign halted due to protests from Baptist state convention and local minister due to USO renting Catholic Church facilities for programs.  This is seen as an endorsement of Catholicism.
-- District 1 issues- 4,161 gas cards, over 54% class B3 or X (way too many). 
-- Selective Service Board begins review and re-classification of class 3-A.
-- 3 Davidson County deserters arrested and returned to army. 

5/21/42-- District 2. Gas ration cards distributed – “A” – 1,339; “B1” – 764; “B2” – 729; “B3” – 1,898, “X” - 586.
-- Trial Blackout set for Lexington.
-- Most of excess X gas cards were given to small truck owners who don’t need a card at all.
-- ½ of local Guards rifles requisitioned by Army, to be replaced with shotguns. 

5/26/42-- NC traffic down 50% since gas rationing started.

5/28/42-- Latest Blackout test deemed successful.

6/1/42     JAPANESE NAVY RESOUNDINGLY DEFEATED AT BATTLE OF MIDWAY 
-- Vacationers reminded - U-boats off coast cause coastal “dim-outs;" lights visible from sea must be extinguished or shaded.
-- About 55 “X” gas ration cards recalled.
-- About 50 local women begin canvass to enlist 3,000 CD workers in Lexington District. 3,500 said to have been enlisted in Thomasville district.Ad: send The Dispatch to your soldier for $0.65 for 3 months.
-- Messenger pigeons owned by Cliff Lopp and Cyrus D McCrary win contest. Lexington Pigeon Club selected for pigeon training by Army Signal Service. Pigeons were used for Army maneuvers here in November 1941.      

6/4/42-- Davidson nearly doubles Bond purchase quota. Quota was $62,800. Actual was $115,000.
-- H. Lee Waters offers free print to mothers of photos taken of their sons as they leave for induction centers.
-- New tire quota slashed again. 10 new autos available for June.
-- Save your peapods for soup… recipe: dice, boil, puree.
-- Ad: free outdoor pictures at Bill Lohr’s Service Station.
-- Local Red Cross gives “utility bags” to departing draftees.
-- Public reminded that sugar ration books of dead and enlisted must be turned in. 

6/8/42 -- Privilege taxes for auto dealers and service stations reduced from $35 to $1 due to restricted business.

6/11/42-- Local factory whistles hushed for duration. To be used for Air raids and blackouts only. Railroads asked to not blow whistles in Lexington to observe the “hush out”.
-- Registration of 18 – 20 year olds planned 6/30.
-- Help wanted ad for defense workers in Portland, Oregon … $0.60 - $0.90 per hour.
-- Ad: "Lexington Ice and Coal,box costs 1/3 of a refrigerator. Works 3 days on one charging.

6/15/42-- Local farmers urged to store wheat.
-- Bicycle riders brought under Lexington city traffic ordinance.
-- Davidson County service stations to collect scrap rubber.
-- General blackout scheduled for Lexington and south Davidson. 

6/18/42-- Gas rationing to be extended for duration with a basic unit of 4 gallons (was 3). No “X” classes.
-- Davidson County office building completed. It was a WPA project.
-- Lower speed limit (40 mph) affects bus schedules.
-- Physical requirements for Navy reduced.

6/22/42-- Big 4th of July planned in Lexington. Troops, Civil Defense groups to be on hand. An invitation extended to Lt. Col Sink and Airborne with hopes for a demo jump.
-- District 1 blackout called success.
-- Local man detained; had shoes in hand in alley behind bank during blackout. No law broken.
-- All motor vehicles must display Motor Vehicle Use Tax stamps.
-- 5 African-American selectees fail to show up for trip to induction center.  Crowd of white and African-Americans see off draftees.

6/25/42-- 4,860 lbs of scrap rubber collected at Ed Hedrick’s station in Hedrick’s Grove.
-- Ad: War risk and Bombardment insurance at Industrial Bank.
-- Cartoon: "Odd Facts in Carolina” – Mrs. Daisy Waller of Linwood has worn a pair of silk stockings for 14 years.
-- Thomasville JayCees announce Honor Board Plans, which wil list all District 2 servicemen and women.

6/29/42-- Gas rationing registration: “A” card and sticker – 16 gallons per month, “B” classes various amounts based on necessity, “C” – essential use. Trucks are class “S1” and “S2”, Motorcycles are class “D” (6.4 gallons per month).
-- Car-pooling plans studied.
-- Photo: Lt. Col. Sink  and parachutists to jump onto golf course in Lexington on July 4th.
-- Stores to observe 15 minutes of “nothing but defense bonds and stamps sales” from noon to 12:15 on July 1st.
-- Girl scouts collect scrap rubber for defense.
-- Coble Dairy gets special tire allotment as an essential industry. 

7/2/42-- Cartoon: Independence Day 1942 – eagle with dynamite in talons labeled “United War Effort”.
-- Photo: Cowboy star “Bill Elliot” to visit Lexington.
-- Lexington July 4th plans are complete – Sink & paratroopers will  jump onto golf course. Army troops from Camp Sutton (near Monroe) cannot attend due to transportation difficulties. There will be a parade, barbecue by Warner Stamey, Alton Beck and Sid Weaver, and a dance. -- Stores – except groceries – to close during parachute jump.
-- Editorial: school buses may not get tires under federal rationing regs.

7/3/42-- 637 18 and 19 year olds from District 2 have registered.
-- “Victory Day Parade” (July 4th) to be largest ever staged in Thomasville.
-- Ad: Firestone offers baseball bat for $0.59 and 8 piece “Walter Hagen” golf set for $23.95.

7/6/42-- 15,000 witness parade – largest crowd in Lexington history.
-- 10,000 at golf course. Jump went off well but one trooper turned his ankle on a golf ball.
-- Full page spread – support the USO – has letters from local boys.
-- Canning demo to be held locally.

7/9/42-- Photo: - paratroopers in parade.

7/10/42-- Photo - tangled parachutes in air at Lexington Golf Course… no one hurt.
-- Editorial: “We have become slightly bewildered to read of defeat after defeat”… “Many of us have drifted along with the situation... we have bought defense bonds, collected a little scrap rubber, paper, and metal, studied a little first aid and contributed to special war drives.” 

7/13/42-- Engineers seen making survey on the Yadkin for purposes unknown.
-- Father and son among African-American draftees – Walter McGuire and William Walter McGuire.
-- An average of 100,000 lbs of scrap metal collected per month.. May 184,000, June 242,000.

7/16/42-- First disabled veteran returns – William Glade Scism, 21.
-- V-mail folders arrive at post office. Free but limited to 3 per person per day. Messages will be photographed then transmitted then printed for delivery.
-- 9 women currently taking aircraft training at LHS (several husband-wife teams). 80 trainees already sent to Martin Aircraft in Baltimore.
-- Free button of General MacArthur with purchase of $0.05 ice cream cone.
-- Ad: “Tomorrow... in person… Bill Elliot”  (Cowboy star at Carolina Theater).

7/20/42-- 212,000 lbs of scrap rubber collected in county.
-- Bike sales no longer frozen but bikes strictly rationed.

7/23/42-- New bike quota cut from 22 to 5.  Movie ad: "Sgt. York ," 3rd return. 
--  Ad: Gordon Motor Company offers car storage for “duration.”

7/24/42-- Man convicted of hit and run must supply a replacement tire tube to victim as part of sentence.
-- 54 men inducted from District 2.
-- Plans pushed for USO center in Thomasville.  Thomasville Honor Board nearing completion at intersection of E. Main and Cemetery. 

7/27/42-- Erlanger announces 10% wage increase.
-- 21 of 73 draftees from District  1 rejected for physical reasons.
 
7/30/42-- Plan announced for offering hospitality to about 1,000 Texas soldiers who are nearby on maneuvers
-- Volunteers sought to fill Utility Bags at Red Cross
-- 89 men for August – largest call from Lexington District
-- Ad for “donkey baseball” game

7/31/42-- 1,200 soldiers invited to Thomasville on August 8.
-- Local men (Defense workers, Charles Murphy and R.L Fleming) reach Bermuda safely after ship torpedoed.
-- Ad: "Fats make glycerin – glycerin makes explosives.”

8/3/42-- 100 extra recaps in allotment – but already depleted by demand.
-- Blackout a success, but… “Saboteurs” found inside fence at water tank with boxes marked "TNT”, “Arsenic Poison”, “Bombs” etc. -----  Editorial suggests: “Write cheerful letters to servicemen.”
-- Political Cartoon – “Muddle headed sentimentality” weeps for German and Japanese people.
-- Ad :used sewing machine $18.75.
-- Full page ad – “win the war: shop in Lexington” to save gas and tires.
-- 5 local men are instructors in Army Signal Corps radio school in Winston-Salem: Frank Shoaf, Roy Keen, Foil Swing, Dave Hertman, Worth Newkirk.
-- Ad:“Gone with the Wind” back again.
-- Ministers no longer have unlimited gas allowances. Visits restricted.

8/6/42-- Blackout violator fined $5.00 for using flashlight.
-- City planning hospitality for 700 soldiers on 8/8/42; need volunteers to provide housing and meals.  Tthere will be a free ball game and dance.
-- Gigantic door-to-door scrap rally to cover city. Scrap to be stored on Grimes Mill lot. Boys and girls urged to pick up scrap.
-- Beer scarce due to lack of bottle caps.

8/7/42      MARINES LAND AT GUADACANAL
-- Number of soldiers expected in Thomasville on August 8 reduced to 1,000.

8/10/42-- REA line broken at High Rock Lake by low flying bomber.
-- Nearly 1,000 soldiers from Texas in Lexington  for hospitality. Called a huge success. 

8/13/42-- Photo of inductees – H. Lee Waters again offers copy free to families.
-- WCTU to place cookie jars in bus stations for soldiers.
-- Photo:  soldiers under tree in Lexington enjoying “hospitality” (HLW).

8/14/42-- Serial numbers of stolen ration books published.

8/17/42-- Photo of  Thomasville’s William C. Miller – Navy to name Destroyer Escort for him (DE-259).
-- Full page ad :bomb from Lexington “Tagged for Tokio” – scrap drive. 

8/20/42-- Scrap collection lags.
-- Wenonah Cotton Mill to temporarily resume use of whistle until other method can be found.

8/21/42-- Text of William C. Miller citation from Admiral Nimitz published.
-- 28 tons of sugar for canning allotted to District 2.

8/24/42-- 14 Davidson County women in aircraft training.
-- USO campaign quota exceeded.
-- Kiwanis to place board on square in Lexington  with names of all in service. Jr. Chamber of Commerce did the same in Thomasville.

8/27/42-- Big bond rally at Carolina Theater 
-- Eligibility age for aircraft production training dropped to 16. (Plants will take workers at 17)
-- War Map available at Esso dealers. 

8/31/42 -- Those men recently married (after 12/7/41) can expect to be called up. 

9/7/42-- Air raid warning station to be placed atop Carolina theater.  13 rural stations now on part time alert…. Expected to go to 24X7
-- Tire “re-grooving” no longer permitted
-- Waste fat rally scheduled for 9/23/42. 

9/10/42-- Bond thermometer on court house steps continues to rise
-- Red Cross to make surgical dressings. Sewing room remains busy.
-- Interscholastic athletics dropped by Davidson County schools due to transportation problems

9/11/42-- Thomasville’s Main Street School to train ship fitters
-- Red Cross sewing room is located in Room 214 of the Lambeth Block in Thomasville

9/14/42-- Davidson County 1-B registrants to be re-evaluated
-- 123 draftees for 9/22 including Paul I. Grimes, WWI vet

9/17/42-- Rev Dan Allen resigns as CD Director. Vincent Kelly (LHS principal) to succeed him.
-- Trio of tire thieves apprehende. 

9/21/42-- Local HS builds gas chamber for CD training
-- Statewide blackout scheduled 9/29. 

 9/24/42-- Photo – over 100 draftees. - Reeves Island bridge over Yadkin (near Newsom) converted to scrap
-- Local couple has 4 sons in service – Mr & Mrs Herman R Craver
-- Ad – “Soycup Coffee”  

9/24/42 -- Red Cross asking for sweaters. Plenty of wool on hand. Knitting watch caps and “sea boot stockings.”

9/25/42 -- Man receives 4 year sentence for stealing 3 old tires and 2 tubes
-- 4-H girls motto: “Make and Mend for Victory” 

9/28/42-- County now has twice as many in service as in WWI
-- Photo – Belk-Martin store with photos of nearly 500 service men in window… draws huge crowds
-- County schools begin operating lunch program using surplus commodities. 

10/1/42-- NYA now offering training in making wooden glider parts
-- Kiwanis board found to have more names than space – sign painter has been drafted
-- Full page ad – scrap metal drive contest
-- National speed limit lowered to 35
-- Photo of scrap collectors
-- Article outlining “don’ts” for mailing Christmas packages to servicemen. No matches, lighter fluid, cash. Must be no larger than a shoebox and weigh no more than 6 pounds. 

10/2/42-- “More than 100” men inducted from District 2
-- Soldiers noted guarding Southern RR crossings in Thomasville overnight – possibly for passage of an ammunition train. 

10/5/42-- “Junior Army” of Lexington school students to “blitz” the town in scrap drive
-- Lexington Red Cross announces 5,000 surgical dressings ready to ship. Making 700 – 800 per day on 2nd floor of J.F. Ward
-- Lexington district tire ration quotas for month: 18 new tires, 102 recaps, 80 tubes, 141 truck tires, 7 new autos, 25 bicycles
-- 10th and 11th physician called up from Lexington area
-- Fuel Oil and Kerosene to be rationed. Ration board selected.
-- Davidson County Fair posters distributed in error. There will be no fairs for duration.
-- Kiwanis “Board of Honor” to be enlarged.
-- Movie ad - Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby in “Holiday Inn” at Carolina.

10/8/42 -- Erlanger mother, Mrs. Minerva Bevins, sends 4th son to armed services
-- “Jr. Army” scrap drive deemed a success so far
-- Gas ration books must be turned in when used car is sold.

10/9/42-- In Thomasville, Sunday movies banned by local ordinance at request of clergy.
-- Between 15 – 20 tons of scrap metal collected

10/12/42-- Carolina Theater holds “scrap matinee” – 5 lbs scrap admission to see Shirley Temple in “Kathleen”
-- Many Construction jobs available in Pearl Harbor paying up to $1.35 per hour.
-- Furniture plants calling for women workers
-- Movie  - Official government film “Battle of Midway” to be shown
-- Sheriff Raymond Bowers turns in brass knuckles and keys to old jail in scrap drive

10/15/42-- Davidson County USDA War Board asks that bona fide “farm boys” be exempt from draft due to labor shortage
-- Quota for surgical dressings grows – center to be open at night to meet quota
-- Saturday Evening Post carried article by Lt. Clarence E. Dickinson about William C. Miller’s death at Pearl Harbor

10/16/42-- Monday, Dec. 7th proposed as “William C. Miller Day” in Thomasville
-- Female workers needed in Thomasville furniture plants – first tried “several months ago” on a trial basis. Applicants will be placed at once.
-- Soldiers’ Entertainment Committee entertains 75 pre-inductees at Legion hut.  They plan to do the same for all future inductees.

10/19/42-- Lowering of draft age to 18-19 will expose 500 – 600 from the Lexington District
-- Over 700,000 lbs of scrap raised by Junior Army
-- Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria on increase in Davidson County
-- Men’s WPA project in county halted due to lack of manpower
-- Shortage of hypodermic needles for blood testing of inductees necessitates re-sterilization for re-use
-- Birth rates down in Davidson County
-- Thomasville opens new war training classes at High School – ship fitting, welding, sheet metal work, blueprint reading. Classes to run 2 shifts.

10/22/42-- Those having excess tires (more than 5) must turn them in
-- Bomber makes forced landing in field near High Rock Lake
-- 500 Lexington students pick cotton to help harvest the crop – Caroline Parnell – 80 lbs, Herman Swing – 77 lbs., Mrs. Wendell Leonard and Ms. Sara Downs (faculty) 31 lbs each.
-- Photo of Brevard man who donated bumper from his car to scrap drive
-- Southern Piedmont Garden club meets – topic “Beauty in Wartime”
-- Experimental street paving tried on .4 mile of Weaver St.
-- Higher percentage of draftees accepted – said to be due to lower age of inductees"

10/23/42-- 40 African American men inducted from District 2.

10/26/42-- Final scrap drive total exceeds 1 Million pounds – Pilot School 60,000, Denton 55,000, Fairgrove 52,000
-- Hunting regulations released – waterfowl season from 11/1/42 – 1/10/43 – 10 ducks and 2 geese per day limit

11/2/42-- George C Barnes sends 4th son to service
-- 200 to be called from District 1 this week. Largest call to date. Same expected from Thomasville.
-- School hours readjusted for “War Time”

11/5/42-- Davidson County  paratrooper, Occo Leonard, spoken to by Eleanor Roosevelt in England
-- Diphtheria shots required for 1st and 2nd grades
-- Merchants must file lists to show adherence to price ceilings
-- Women’s War Bond Week – Nov. 22nd – 26th
-- photo - Shirley Fritts (male) “world’s smallest constable” re-elected – photo on back of pony
-- Navy no longer requires High School Graduation.

11/6/42-- Franchise granted for Thomasville intra-city bus line
-- 161 white men from District 2 inducted

11/8/42    ALLIED INVASION OF NORTH AFRICA BEGINS IN "OPERATION TORCH"

11/9/42-- Davidson County Library establishes War Information Center – books, bulletins, and pamphlets. Updated daily. Also scrapbook with a page on each local serviceman maintained by Mrs. Calvin Wall of WPA
-- Davidson County’s Robert F. Sink promoted to Colonel. Stationed at Toccoa, Ga. 
-- Annual Costume Ball to be event of the season. Held at Municipal Club Ballroom. Music by the Lexington Rhythm Makers. Proceeds to local hospital.
-- New farm equipment sales frozen until rationing plans can be finalized.

11/12/42-- Coffee rationing regulations. 1 lb per person for month.  - Recipe/photo for upside down cake, using 1 egg and syrup for sweetening
-- Ad – “A Message for every driver”… follow these tips to save tire rubber
-- Miss Myra Nell Sink going to War Plant in Baltimore (Photo). Trained locally (300 hours) in manufacture of wooden aircraft parts. Will receive $0.60 per hour. (This is the only detailed such notice to date and is in the Social News) 
-- Movie “Wake Island” at Carolina

 11/16/42-- photo -Governor Broughton in front of board of honor.
-- “about 400” surplus tires turned in
-- Mrs Sallie Jarvis sends 4th son to service
-- Photo of winners of Costume Ball
-- ½ page ad – if you want to continue driving, sell your surplus tires now.

11/19/42-- Women Leading War Bond Drive - photo
-- Voluntary meat rationing discussed

11/20/42-- Thomasville announces they will not put up Christmas lights

11/23/42-- Davidson County birth rate back up
-- Over 2,000 “surplus” tires turned in (mostly in bad shape)
-- Re-cap applicants must prove need
-- North Carolinians have turned in enough scrap to make 7 battle cruisers

11/26/42-- First 18-19 year olds called for physical. Will probably be in December call

11/30/42-- Large number classified 1-A
-- Sugar rationing is a “knockout blow” to local moonshiners
-- Coffee rationing begins
-- Lots of hunters; but stores now out of shells

12/3/42-- Hubert Crowell receives Silver Star posthumously. Was gunner on B-17.
-- Citizens Service Corps – local women to aid in voluntary rationing
-- Cecil School students buy War Stamps - photo
-- Photos – “War influence on Christmas Toys”… wooden toys (no metal) with military themes
-- Article: Practical Gifts for enlisted servicemen – underwear, handkerchiefs, socks, toilet articles

12/4/42-- 175 inducted from District 2
 
12/7/42 -- WPA ended nationally
-- Full Page Ad – “Remembering Pearl Harbor … we’ve come a long way”
-- Lexington Shirt Company directed to shorten shirt tails to conserve fabric
 
12/10/42-- Men over 38 no longer to be drafted by presidential order
-- No one 18 – 38 permitted to volunteer. All Services taking draftees. 18 year olds must register on birthday. 
-- Holiday lighting must conform to blackout rules

12/14/42-- Fuel Oil Rationing instructions – there will be 5 “ration periods” through 9/43. Unit value for stamps is 10 gallons

12/17/42-- 200 19-37 year olds called up from Lexington District

12/18/42-- Thomasville Red Cross receives material for utility bags
 
12/21/42-- Photo of  Major Joe V. Moffit with King George, taken “somewhere in England
-- Movie ad – “Flying Tigers” at Carolina

12/25/42-- Boxes for collection of old brass keys filling up in Thomasville.

12/31/42 -- Ralph T. Morris of Lexington receives DFC from General MacArthur for flying over 50 missions.
-- Bond Sales reach a total of $617,320.50
-- Photo – Lexington Silk Mills children await gifts from Santa
-- Mr. And Mrs. Earl Varner of Denton have 4 sons and 1 daughter in service – “5 Star” family.

Copyright J. M. Daniel, 2005