Making Do: Life at Home
World War Two impacted the homes of ordinary American citizens like
those in Quinsigamond Village. Some of the effects of war seemed insignificant,
such as no meat for Swedish meatballs. Other effects of war, the loss
of men to service, devastated the lives of Village residents. But every
way the war impacted the home had something to reveal. The Village experience
with rationing demonstrated how one community coped without all they
wanted and needed, how they looked to each other to supply what they
lacked. Air raids frequented the 
community.
This brought the very foreign war into the homes of Villagers. War bonds
and Victory Gardens were active ways the people of Quinsigamond could
contribute to the war without enlisting. And the community's response
to the enlisted and drafted men revealed how a Village can band together
to help those experiencing loss. The varying experiences of women and
families tell the stories of how the households managed and continued
in the wake of losing a husband or father to the service.
The
most interesting aspect of the war's effects on the home is that national
parallels can be easily drawn. While some aspects of WWII affected limited
populations, such as those interned, or veterans, all people of this
generation experienced life at home at some point. Not every family
sent a father or son to war, but every community did. And the community
experiences of Quinsigamond can shed light on how other similar communities
across the country dealt with the absence of their men. Rationing and
blackouts were nationally intstituted. Therefore, every man, woman,
and child felt the impact of rations and blackouts at some point in
their lives.
These are the home life experiences of the men, women, and children
of Quinsigamond Village during World War Two.
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Make it Do or Do Without!
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War at Home: Blackouts
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