75 years ago men and women across the country celebrated the end of World War II, including at Toms River High School. Our school has a history of service during the war and new records reveal what the home front and overseas efforts were like.
We read about World War II in classes like World Civ. and AP U.S. History and it’s stories of valor and sacrifice and the inspirational mass mobilization organized at home by average citizens. What is missing from those pages is the stories of what happened right here at Toms River High School South way back then.
Copies of The Chieftain’s predecessor, “The Cedar Berry”, from March through December 1944, found in the basement of the school, detail a daily effort to support the front line from home. As well, the papers share the names and stories of some of the students and staff who served in the Armed Forces.
Some context around this time in the war is necessary, since December of 1941 the United States had been at war with the Axis Powers of Europe, including Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, and Fascist Italy. The U.S. and the Allies had been struggling to get a foothold on the European continent and faced heavy backlash from the Japanese in the advance to retake the pacific, island by island. Midway through the year, the Allies would launch the world’s largest amphibious invasion on June 6th, establishing a foothold in mainland Europe in Normandy, France. Throughout the rest of the year the Allies would push Nazi Germany closer and closer to it’s original borders.
At home, industry was transformed to conform to the demand for military weaponry and vehicles. Car makers produced military trucks and ships, food makers would have to send a significant amount of product overseas, and clothing and luxury goods makers were forced to conserve resources for the military, this resulted in the rationing of everyday items. The country was having frequent air raid drills and many who lived along the coasts feared a naval attack.
Locally, Toms River High School got to work. Teachers and students organized clubs and fund drives. The best selling items were War Stamps and War Bonds, which gained capital to fund the country’s costly and massive military operations. Homerooms set sales quotas and were expected to achieve those goals through the class. Successful attempts to correlate the money raised with the cost of the equipment for a soldier resulted in classes being able to gear up paratroopers or navy men. A War Stamp club was also formed to centralize the effort, enlisting captains for each homeroom to push their peers to buy up the stamps.
Ads in The Cedar Berry explain the benefits of every student participating in the fundraising,
“If every student buys $6.40 worth of stamps, the name of Toms River High School will appear on a Liason Plane or Flying Jeep. The total cost of this plane is $3,000.”
The Red Cross was also supported by Toms River High School. On November 25, a Piano Recital with admission cost of 55 cents was held. All the funds raised at the show held at the auditorium were given to the the Red Cross. The entire school also rounded up money to give a “Thanksgiving Gift” to the Tilton Hospital located on the grounds of Fort Dix (Now Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst),
“[The money was] used to buy several settees, armchairs, and card tables to furnish a sun porch for convalescent soldiers.”
Individual students and staff decided to go a step further and enlisted in the military to fight. Some wrote back home to The Cedar Berry:
Oliver Wallace: “I am in India at present, but am not allowed to say what part of India we are in...Things of course are rationed over here...I can say we are lucky when you consider where we are.”
Frank Mayer: “We just got back from 20 day of intensive maneuvers, and also a 70 mile endurance hike in 17 hours and 30 minutes...I might be assigned to the Military Intelligence Division, as I speak German and some French.”
Marvin Smith: “When our basic training was ended we were acquainted with all the techniques of war. Machines guns fired 30 inches off the ground while we desperately hugged the good earth; tanks ran over us.”
Three quarters of a century later we remember what was sacrificed and what charity was done to protect our liberty. In the face of our own global crisis, the Coronavirus Pandemic, we should all take inspiration from the students of TRHS in 1944 and do some good.
Students and Staff in the Armed Forces in 1944 (Teachers: Clark, Davis, Hoffman, Brown, Wood, Ricketts, and Tudor also served)
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