Women of the War
The roles of women were under appreciated during the 1940s. From the United States of America to the United Kingdom, women everywhere advanced the war effort. No one knows this fact better than Alice Goddard and Freda McEwen, two women who witnessed the war on the home front. During World War II, women fought their own important battles on the home front. Though drastically different from the roles of men, their contributions played a crucial part in the allied victory.
Women on the home front during WWII experienced just as many challenges as the soldiers in Europe and the Pacific. Dealing with rations, in particular, became one of the major defining characteristics of those still living at home. Since the military had first dibs on food items, commodities such as sugar, butter, and meat were in both high demand and short supply. Nonfood items like gasoline and tires were also greatly sought after. Every person in the county was issued a ration book, and strict punishments were ordered for those who broke the ration rules. Women were also forced into taking over their husbands’ jobs in the workplace, oftentimes in addition to caring for a household and a family. Many women took over the family farm once their husbands or brothers were drafted, for them a newfound responsibility. Out of this situation rose the popular term “Rosie the Riveter”, which came to be a symbol that represented all the women who left home to work in the factories. Quite a few women also had husbands who, while not overseas, were still involved in military service. Alice Goddard is one of those women.
Alice Goddard experienced a large part of the war through her husband, John. At the age of thirty-five, John Goddard, a prominent lawyer in Greensburg, felt called to serve his country. After joining the Navy, he trained to become a part of the intelligence division at Notre Dame. Although Alice did not know what his job entailed, she knew his service was vital to the American war effort. Alice, while proud of her husband, was angered by the lack of commitment and patriotism displayed by younger members of society. “It angered me to see younger affluent members of society paying their way out of the draft. My husband, at age thirty-five, would be called to serve before a man ten years his junior.” Alice spent seven long months without her husband. With a twenty month old baby, and another child on the way, the Goddards decided they wanted to life closer to each other. In 1943, Alice moved to South Bend where she remained until the end of the war. War was hard on American wives and mothers. Though they missed their husbands terribly, they learned to deal with the problems they faced due to the war.
The English people also underwent many challenges during the war. They had to deal with rations and shortages of supplies, as well as the fear of being right on top of the action. In this respect, Freda McEwen’s story was vastly different from that of Alice’s. She dealt with fear through her humor and optimism. Freda viewed the bombing of London through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old. She described the terror of the dreadful air raid sirens and bombs dropping overhead. Damage to roads, houses, and other parts of the country’s infrastructure was also quite high due to the bombings (Rockrick S-top). Much of the time, she only felt frustrated at being stuck in the shelter every day. Joining 
the land army at age eighteen, Freda felt a sense of relief from the pressures of the bombings. She escaped to the countryside where she worked as a farmhand. The War became known as the “people’s war”, everyone in England was part of the effort (Rockrick S-top). Freda said, “The work was tedious and hard, we put in twelve hour days, she also said farmers were prejudiced against women, and did not believe she could handle the workload. Freda talked about a farmer who did not wish for them to be there and fired them every night only for them to return the next day. “We did everything men did, and we had a lot of freedom. We had a pretty good life; in fact, it was the best time of my life.” The unifying forces in the war were within the people on the home front itself. They were the story of the triumph of the English spirit, and they helped England fight until they were victorious.
Although the women faced different challenges, certain aspects of war life were shared by both countries. Both recall the scarcity of resources. Alice remembered the inability to see her family due to gasoline prices. Freda described the challenges food rations brought. Her family only received two ounces of butter every week per person, four ounces of meat, and one egg per month. She did not see oranges or bananas for six years. Entertainment provided a welcome escape fro the chaos of war. Both Alice and Freda listened to popular music and attended dances to relieve their anxious nerves. When the war ended, both were overcome with joy. Alice recollected the celebrations and dancing in the streets. “we were so happy because ewe knew our boys were coming home.” Freda was shocked to learn how close they had come to loosing the war. She remembered Winston Churchill’s rallying speeches, and how the English people had never doubted victory. One reporter wrote during the war that “Little did he [Hitler] know the spirit of the British nation” (Morris S-3/4). Both women celebrated the unifying forces of their country.
Although the war brought many hardships, courageous women like Alice and Freda persevered. Just like many women of the 1940s, they were forced to make outstanding decisions, choices which could determine the fate of their family in years to come. Their bravery and love have never before and will never again be demonstrated by any portion of society, and for that reason these women live on in hearts and in history books. Theirs will forever be remembered as the “Greatest Generation” for the sacrifices they made and the risks they took. Through their unfaltering loyalty and strength in the face of adversity, they demonstrated to the world the power of women.
Works Cited
"Battle of Britain, 1940-1941." DISCovering World History. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. 30 April 2006 http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/ .
"Excerpt from This Is London." American Decades CD-ROM. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. 1 May 2006 http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/ .
Goddard, Alice. Personal interview. 26 April 2006.
McEwen, Freda. Personal interview, 28 April 2006.
Morris, Joe Alex. “Churchill calls Britons to their duty against likely invasion.” Cleveland Press 11 September 1940
Osborn, Tracy. “Teacher Oz’s Kingdom of History- World War II.” July 2005. 2 May 2006 http://www.teacheroz.com/index.htm .
Rocrick, Anne. The History of Great Britain. London: Greenwood Press,1999.
World War II (era), 1928-1945." DISCovering World History. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. 30 April 2006. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/ .
“World War II.” 2004. The National Memorial Day Concert, PBS. 30 April 2006 http://www.pbs.org/memorialdayconcert/wwii/guarding.html .
By: Brooke McEwen and Jordan Shipley