History Mystery

Some boys under 18 managed to join the military, and some kids scanned the skies and seas with binoculars looking out for the enemy. But most Canadian young people helped out in more day-to-day ways. Which of these war efforts do you think might be real a

VEGETABLES FOR VICTORY

Anyone who could find even a little bit of land was encouraged to start what was called a victory garden. The idea was to stay healthy and contribute food by growing vegetables. Kids helped with planting and weeding throughout the war. By 1944, there were about 209,000 victory gardens throughout Canada.

SAVE AND COLLECT

Although recycling wasn’t a common word then, that’s what a lot of kids did during the war. They gathered paper, scraps of metal, rubber, and even fat and grease. The stuff they collected was recycled or reused to save the government money. Bacon grease, for instance, could be used to make explosive ammunition shells.

MARCH!

In bigger towns and cities, boys joined Young Warriors groups and girls signed up to be Maple Lasses. Both wore white shirts and red scarves as they did a kids’ version of military training: fitness exercises, marching drills and weekend camps. Although they never did anything directly related to the war, they got an idea of what it was like to be in the army.

YOUNG FARMERS

With so many men off in the military, farm kids had to work even harder to keep producing food. The government lowered the driving age on farms so 14-year-olds could use trucks and tractors. Many schools allowed young people to miss classes if they were doing farm work.

STAMPS AND BONDS

Kids who had jobs or allowances used their money to buy 25-cent war stamps at school or in stores. When they got 16 stamps — $4 worth — they sent the card away and the government sent them a $5 War Savings Certificate they could trade for cash when the war was over. Children also donated money to the Victory Loans program that raised billions of dollars to help pay for the war.

DEAR SOLDIER

One of the things the people serving overseas appreciated most was a letter from home. Kids wrote to their own family members but many also had pen pals. Members of Girl Guides knitted socks and scarves to send, and teachers had their students write letters so that members of the military would know they were remembered.