Boomers and War Ration Books

I am a Baby Boomer..... So, imagine my curiosity when, during my recent research into family history, I found a photo of a "War Ration Book Two" with a stamp in the right hand corner with the words, Office of Price Adm. printed beneath the stamp. It actually belonged to a man from Rubicon, Wisconsin and he was 49 years old. With photo in hand, I accessed www.ancestry.com and found his name and date of birth, learning (with my limited math ability) the card was issued in 1942. Before my time, but not much. So, my research bug went off in another direction and curiosity led the way... In 1942, my husband tells me (he was 7 years old) that he remembers his mother and father having such a war ration book. His father was an auto mechanic and parts and rubber were both at a premium, if not impossible to find. J.D. said only a few automobiles were made in 1942 and during the next war years, no new automobiles were built at all. The machinery and rubber required were, instead, used for war vehicles and other necessities. It wasn't until 1946 that new automobile manufacturing began again. He remembers sugar, rubber, nylon and other staples were part of that war ration book and without the stamps/coupons, you went without the types of staples that required rationing. I googled War Ration Books and was stunned to read their importance! The book instructed that it was the property of the U.S. Government. It could not be traded, sold or used by others. If someone died or found a lost book, it must be returned to the War Price and Rationing Board. Persons who violated the rationing board regulations would be fined $1000, imprisoned or both! OMG, they meant business! The stamps inside the booklet could only be torn out at point of purchase and the rationed items could not be purchased without a stamp. And don't toss the book away when stamps were gone because you might need to show the empty book to get another one! Rationing is a vital part of the country's war effort is printed on the back of the booklet. It was the governments guarantee of your getting your fair share of goods made scarce by war. Any attempt to violate the rules would be treated like treason... as it helps the enemy (?). Be guided by the rule, "If you don't need it, Don't Buy It!" As a Baby Boomer even thought born in the last month of 1946, this information was stunning. My parents and grandparents lived through such a difficult time in their lives! Now I understand why my mother drew lines down the back of her legs = faux seams as if she was wearing nylon stockings. And now I know why it was such an act of love for my grandmother to stand in line for hours just to get nylon stockings for my mother as a gift. The real gift was standing in those long lines. We take so much for granted. I am sure I will think of those ration books the next time I pull a package of sugar off the shelf or put new tires on our car. Never again will I forget what their lives must have been like in my blind quest to better my own.