Patricia Sullivan
Sarah Sullivan
Mr. Thomas
U.S. History 11H, Period 5
11 May 2006
Transcript
I interviewed my grandmother Patricia Sullivan. She was a young child on the home front in World War II. We discussed her role around the house and the types of things she did for fun. She discusses the name Nanny several times, which refers to her mother, my great-grandmother.
Q. How old were you during World War II?
A. I was about seven years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. I remember I was in my yard with my little sister when I heard my mom talking about it.
Q. What were some household chores you had to do?
A. I used to sweep and farm. I did a lot of the same things a seven year old would do now, only I would say I probably did more. I think children at the time had more responsibility compared to now. I was kind of expected to take care of Myrna a lot of the time because she was my little sister.
Q. Did you ever get punished for not doing chores?
A. Of course! You knew Nanny, she was nice but she would give it to you if you didn’t do what she said when she said it. I remember when she used to put chicken shit on my thumb because I wouldn’t stop sucking it. If that tells you anything about how she punished, I think it should. Speaking of chickens, that was another chore that I absolutely hated, taking care of them. We also had a small garden that I was always responsible for.
Q. What do you remember about rationing?
A. I remember that sugar was a rare commodity. It was a treat to have sugar, unlike now when everything has sugar in it. I think that’s why I like my coffee black and dark chocolate, I didn’t really have many sweetened foods growing up. I also think that’s why I loved spoiling you when you were growing up….
Q. Do you remember anything about war bonds?
A. Not really, I just remember hearing about them. I never really knew what exactly they meant. Now I realize how important they were.
Q. Do you remember anything about ration coupons?
A. Oh yes, you couldn’t buy anything without them. You remember how much Nanny loved coffee, well I remember spending many a coupon on coffee. We never really needed much because my dad was at war and I only had one sister. So sometimes we would get sugar, especially on special occasions like birthdays.
Q. What kind of games did you play with your friends?
A. I was quite the tomboy when I was younger. Actually you reminded me of myself when I was younger. Me and the neighborhood kids would make up fun games and play capture the flag. Sometimes when I was a little older I played football with the boys. I always had scrapes on my knees kind of like you.
Q. Did any of your games revolve around war?
A. Sometimes we would play good guys versus bad guys. The good guys were America and the bad guys were Germany. No one ever wanted to be Germany. We normally played paper rock scissors to decide that.
Q. What did your mom do during the war?
A. She took care of me and Myrna. She was always working and she babysat and worked at nursing homes a lot. She was such a hard worker. When she wasn’t at work she was out in the yard pulling weeds or planting something.