Wilmington at War

From the May 15, 2012, Back Then

On May 12, 1942, Wilmington residents were getting their first taste of war rationing as thousands of housewives and husbands flocked to county schools to register for War Ration Book Number One which entitled families to a half pound of sugar per person per week.

Some 10,755 sugar ration books were issued  Some of the items that were later rationed were needed for the war effort, but sugar was rationed primarily because it was imported and shipping had been drastically curtailed, both by need for war material and the U-boat menace.

--GreGen