Woodbury remembers life during WW II

Central Valley - Starting Sunday, the Woodbury Historical Society invites people to step back in time with its “Works in Progress” exhibit, examining the home front in the town of Woodbury during World War II. The exhibit is made up of family photos, sports and school pictures, magazines as well as posters from the 1940’s urging people to buy war bonds, conserve energy and ration, gas and food. As a ration book from the period urges: “If you don’t need it, DON’T BUY IT.” Then - as now - there were concerns about attacks. The exhibit includes a note from James A. Jonas, chairman of the Orange County Defense Council, who issued this special warning shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor: May I call your attention again to this very definite necessity of taking special precautions over the holiday period. We have every reason to fear that enemy action of some kind, direct or subversive, may be attempted, either New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day or possibly in the next few days after that. The warnings received from the War Department through the State Defense Council on Christmas Eve specifically included the next few days. Please govern yourself accordingly. Please pass this along to your men. Remember Pearl Harbor. Another directive, this time from the state Office of Civilian Protection, assesses difficulties encountered during blackouts: “Many air raid wardens do not understand that house lights and private lighting should remain out during period controlled by the second blue signal.” The Works in Progress also notes the local contributions to the war effort. Young people, for instance, collected milkweed pods for the silk fibers inside the pods, which Bill Doyle recalled were used as filling for life jackets. The Hall Line Company, which was located on Park Avenue in Highland Mills, converted its fishing line business to one making the pull cords for parachutes. A number of women in town were busy knitting socks and sweaters for the American and British soldiers as well as the British children. Women also spent time rolling bandages for the Red Cross. And then there are the letters from the servicemen, like this one from Cpl. William Bailey on Dec. 15, 1944, where he was “somewhere in France: Hello, Folks, Just now received your Christmas card and gift. I want to thank you for your kindness and remembrance on Christmas. It really makes a fellow happy to know the “folks” back home are with us in fighting the enemy. The work you “folks” are doing and the morale booster (mail) which you are sending is the tops with me and every soldier and sailer.” The exhibit opens Sunday, Feb. 19, from l to 4 p.m. at the Gatehouse, 224 Smith Clove Road. It runs through September, and will include later in the year a “Victory Garden” planted in the Gatehouse courtyard. Town residents who have memories of life in Woodbury during WW II are asked to contact Dottie at 928-6378 or any member of the committee. A bibliography will be available for those who wish to read more about these war years.