ROLE OF LOCAL CITIZENS IN THE WAR
World War I was a total war, meaning that victory required sacrifice of those on the home front as well as those serving abroad. Local citizens of Randolph County, who were instrumental in the war effort, believed that cooperation was an essential part to success overseas. This cooperation manifested itself in several ways.
War Bond Drives Loyal family and community members organized and participated in fundraising drives to financially support the war effort through the purchase of war bonds. There was a county chairman and a chairman for the city of Roanoke. Roanoke's fundraising goal was $90,000. A September 4, 1918 edition of The Roanoke Leader advertised a "Liberty Loan" campaign with speakers known as four-minute men to educate citizens as to the "urgency of every man, woman, and child" to do "his or her full duty" and financially support the war effort. General John J. Pershing's birthday was even an occasion to raise war funds as $7,010 was collected in one day. During one drive, Roanoke citizens J.C. Wright and Mr. W.H. Knight, partners in the Roanoke Guano Company, pledged $50,000. The October 2 edition reported that credit was due to the county's colored citizens as they had recently raised $350.
Red Cross Aid In June 1917, fifty local citizens gathered in the Griffin and Satterwhite Hardware Store to organize a local chapter of the Red Cross. To protect soldiers from the cold, wet trenches, local townsfolk knitted sweaters, scarves, and socks while some rolled bandages to aide in the healing of the inevitable wounds of many of the soldiers. These items were donated to and distributed by groups like the Red Cross and the YMCA. The Roanoke Leader published articles assisting the Red Cross with its Christmas box drive for soldiers, and another ad encouraged families to donate towels (a "linen" shower for the men in action) to the organization. John T. Belcher of Roanoke and employee of the Roanoke Banking Company volunteered and was accepted for Red Cross service in France. The Leader (Oct. 2, 1918) also reported the "colored people of Roanoke are not lacking in patriotism" as they formed their own, separate Red Cross auxiliary.
Rationing and Other Drives Furthermore, local citizens made other sacrifices to make sure their boys had plenty. Local historian Rhonda Bailey Baldwin's book Small Things Forgotten (2011) described a shortage of sugar, meat, flour, and other items because of the war. She wrote that homemakers made do with what they had and got "creative" with new recipes. Even children could contribute. They gathered nutshells that would soon be crushed and used as carbon filters in soldiers' gas masks. Families also planted "victory" gardens to supplement their food supply. In February of 1918, Roanoke City Schools urged students do their part in various ways. They could plant gardens to release "staple foods for the soldiers," join "Pig, Corn or Tomato Clubs," and stick to the U.S. Food Schedule (Wheatless Mondays and Wednesdays, Meatless Tuesday and Porkless Saturdays). In May of 1918, the fruits of their labor were to be displayed at a Garden Fair. They were also urged to save their money for important things like War Saving Stamps, not candy (all from the Feb. 27, 1918 Roanoke Leader). The Boys' Working Reserve Crew was established in Randolph County during the war to meet an important obligation: harvesting crops for the war. Mr. B.B. Baker of Roanoke directed the county's efforts in September and October of 1918 to enroll boys ages 15 and up to work on farms for a period of six weeks and longer if needed. These county students would be given credit for their schoolwork and were told they would be caught up by their teachers once they returned to the classroom (found in several August 1918 editions of The Leader).
Local Home Front Organizations Baldwin's Small Things Forgotten detailed the patriotic administration of the Lowell factory that “did their bit” as well. One example is their creation and funding of a War Service Center. The office kept an accurate record of all the mill workers serving their government in the conflict. One of the services they provided was assisting families to keep in contact with their loved ones overseas. Illiteracy was commonplace among many locals, and letter writing was a struggle for many. Without this help, family communication would have been impeded.
Media Propaganda Media of the day encouraged citizens to join the war effort. Posters encouraging citizens to join the military, conserve food, and join homefront organizations were visible all over town. Besides newsreels and letters home, newspapers were one of the few sources available to obtain updates from the front and inform people of the war’s progress. It was a vital tool used to recruit soldiers with ads encouraging locals to “shove off” and join the navy or answer Uncle Sam’s call to volunteer or register with the draft. The Leader during this time period was filled with articles and other types of propaganda designed to unify the country, demonize the enemy, encourage farmers to increase crop yields, or convince citizens to conserve food. Whether at home or on the front lines, everyone had a valuable contribution they could offer to ensure the survival of liberty, and newspapers kept this fact at the forefront of everyone's minds through their weekly publications.
World War I was a total war, meaning that victory required sacrifice of those on the home front as well as those serving abroad. Local citizens of Randolph County, who were instrumental in the war effort, believed that cooperation was an essential part to success overseas. This cooperation manifested itself in several ways.
War Bond Drives Loyal family and community members organized and participated in fundraising drives to financially support the war effort through the purchase of war bonds. There was a county chairman and a chairman for the city of Roanoke. Roanoke's fundraising goal was $90,000. A September 4, 1918 edition of The Roanoke Leader advertised a "Liberty Loan" campaign with speakers known as four-minute men to educate citizens as to the "urgency of every man, woman, and child" to do "his or her full duty" and financially support the war effort. General John J. Pershing's birthday was even an occasion to raise war funds as $7,010 was collected in one day. During one drive, Roanoke citizens J.C. Wright and Mr. W.H. Knight, partners in the Roanoke Guano Company, pledged $50,000. The October 2 edition reported that credit was due to the county's colored citizens as they had recently raised $350.
Red Cross Aid In June 1917, fifty local citizens gathered in the Griffin and Satterwhite Hardware Store to organize a local chapter of the Red Cross. To protect soldiers from the cold, wet trenches, local townsfolk knitted sweaters, scarves, and socks while some rolled bandages to aide in the healing of the inevitable wounds of many of the soldiers. These items were donated to and distributed by groups like the Red Cross and the YMCA. The Roanoke Leader published articles assisting the Red Cross with its Christmas box drive for soldiers, and another ad encouraged families to donate towels (a "linen" shower for the men in action) to the organization. John T. Belcher of Roanoke and employee of the Roanoke Banking Company volunteered and was accepted for Red Cross service in France. The Leader (Oct. 2, 1918) also reported the "colored people of Roanoke are not lacking in patriotism" as they formed their own, separate Red Cross auxiliary.
Rationing and Other Drives Furthermore, local citizens made other sacrifices to make sure their boys had plenty. Local historian Rhonda Bailey Baldwin's book Small Things Forgotten (2011) described a shortage of sugar, meat, flour, and other items because of the war. She wrote that homemakers made do with what they had and got "creative" with new recipes. Even children could contribute. They gathered nutshells that would soon be crushed and used as carbon filters in soldiers' gas masks. Families also planted "victory" gardens to supplement their food supply. In February of 1918, Roanoke City Schools urged students do their part in various ways. They could plant gardens to release "staple foods for the soldiers," join "Pig, Corn or Tomato Clubs," and stick to the U.S. Food Schedule (Wheatless Mondays and Wednesdays, Meatless Tuesday and Porkless Saturdays). In May of 1918, the fruits of their labor were to be displayed at a Garden Fair. They were also urged to save their money for important things like War Saving Stamps, not candy (all from the Feb. 27, 1918 Roanoke Leader). The Boys' Working Reserve Crew was established in Randolph County during the war to meet an important obligation: harvesting crops for the war. Mr. B.B. Baker of Roanoke directed the county's efforts in September and October of 1918 to enroll boys ages 15 and up to work on farms for a period of six weeks and longer if needed. These county students would be given credit for their schoolwork and were told they would be caught up by their teachers once they returned to the classroom (found in several August 1918 editions of The Leader).
Local Home Front Organizations Baldwin's Small Things Forgotten detailed the patriotic administration of the Lowell factory that “did their bit” as well. One example is their creation and funding of a War Service Center. The office kept an accurate record of all the mill workers serving their government in the conflict. One of the services they provided was assisting families to keep in contact with their loved ones overseas. Illiteracy was commonplace among many locals, and letter writing was a struggle for many. Without this help, family communication would have been impeded.
Media Propaganda Media of the day encouraged citizens to join the war effort. Posters encouraging citizens to join the military, conserve food, and join homefront organizations were visible all over town. Besides newsreels and letters home, newspapers were one of the few sources available to obtain updates from the front and inform people of the war’s progress. It was a vital tool used to recruit soldiers with ads encouraging locals to “shove off” and join the navy or answer Uncle Sam’s call to volunteer or register with the draft. The Leader during this time period was filled with articles and other types of propaganda designed to unify the country, demonize the enemy, encourage farmers to increase crop yields, or convince citizens to conserve food. Whether at home or on the front lines, everyone had a valuable contribution they could offer to ensure the survival of liberty, and newspapers kept this fact at the forefront of everyone's minds through their weekly publications.
The Impact of the War on the Local Economy
Baldwin's book also detailed how the war greatly impacted the local economy in the county. Because of the railroad’s arrival in Roanoke in 1907 and the availability of several cotton warehouses around town, Roanoke was quickly becoming a cotton market. Because of increased war production, the local cotton mill at Lowell worked non-stop: three shifts a day, seven days a week. More spindles were added, and more workers were hired (many of them female due to the large number of men in the service) to accommodate the additional demand on production. The Sept. 17, 1917 Leader also advertised jobs at the Knight-McIntosh Manufacturing Company which had been awarded a government contract to make soldiers' uniforms. |
Sources: The Roanoke Leader (1917-1918); Small Things Forgotten by local historian Rhonda Bailey Baldwin (2011); A History of Randolph County, Master’s Thesis for Virginia Smith (1938); Send the Alabamians by Nimrod Frazier (2014); The Heritage of Randolph County (1998); and Interview with James Stone, son of Waters Stone, by Merredith Sears (2015).