Reflections of My Life by JL Byars – page 13

We were there about three weeks when our tanks and other equipment began to arrive.  Our job now was to get the tanks ready for an invasion.  We had to take all tanks out and road test them and report about them after each run.  All of our guns and ammo had to be unpacked and sent out to all different units to be fired to be sure that they were okay.  More training was going on all of the time.  More trips to the firing range, more first aid schooling.  Always something had to be done.  I had to learn how to write and decode letters, which would come in very handy if captured.   We were lucky that we never had to use it, since it was very hard to learn.

After we had been in England six weeks, we were given three-day passes, but there were not too many places to go or things to do, because England was being bombed almost every night and soldiers were everywhere.

It was about this time that I received a telegram from home.  A beautiful little daughter had arrived to Doris and me – Delia Kay Byars.  It was more than two years before I saw her.  After hearing about Kay, it made it much harder to stay there and keep my mind on what was going on or what was ahead of us.

 Not only were families torn apart by the war, but home life styles were changed drastically.  Foods were rationed as well as shoes, nylon hose, tires and gasoline.  Everyone was issued Ration Stamps and you could only get so much for each stamp.  Sugar and coffee were the hardest to get so if some families didn’t drink coffee, they would trade coffee stamps for sugar stamps so they could make jams, jelly, etc.  Mothers would do without new shoes so the growing children would have school shoes.  Tires were only sold to those whose job was vital to the war effort.  No one complained and almost everyone gladly sacrificed a lot for the men and women defending our country.  Patriotism ran high and everyone had great respect for our country and for those defending it.  All people bought War Bonds, even if it meant doing without things.  Doris bought the first $25.00 War Bond sold at Dunn, Texas – from the $80.00 a month allotment which she and Kay received.