Students in the Newfoundland School upper grades are seen in 1947. The oldest were just six years old when World War II began. Students are: Row 1: Marge Sisco, Clarence Crane, Eugene Sisco. Row 2: Dawn Jennings, Wayne Post, Billy McCAnn, Sally Hewitt, Doris Post, Lawrence Davenport, Linda Chardavoyne. Row 5: LeRoy Tice, Jane Myers, Carl Stickles, Shirley Jennings, Bobby VanLuvender, Walter Crane. Row 4: Jean Richards, Carl Cahill, Jean Cahill, Ada VanderStad, George Crane, Eddie Paulison. Standing left to right: Eileen Cole, Doris Boulden, Luella Crowley Kemble teacher, Eddie VanderStad, Jerry Crane. (
)
Less than three weeks after the United States entered World War II, Christmas Day 1941 arrived on schedule. People tried to balance holiday spirit with the sudden reality of war. Celebrations were simpler, and everything was overshadowed by anxiety about the future and concern for loved ones who had been drafted. It was a difficult time for everyone, especially children growing up during those formative years. West Milford was still a collection of small villages, each with its own church, school and general store. Many families could trace their roots to the area’s earliest settlers across what would become the township’s more than 80 square miles.
Children in West Milford were aware of global suffering and worried about children in war-torn countries. Patriotism surged after the nation entered the war, and while major rationing came later, the idea of scarcity was already taking hold. Santa Claus still made his rounds in 1941, helping children hold on to the magic of Christmas. The following year, women sometimes dressed as Santa to keep traditions alive while freeing men on the home front for defense work.
Christmas had long been a special time in the township’s rural schools. Families were overwhelmingly religious, practicing Protestant or Catholic faiths, and people of other faiths were virtually nonexistent. Nativity displays were common in public schools, and children painted Christmas scenes on classroom windows. Their holiday artwork often told the Christmas story. Legal requirements separating church and state did not arrive until decades later, with Engel v. Vitale in 1962 and later Supreme Court rulings.
A typical school day often began with a Bible verse read aloud and the class reciting the Lord’s Prayer. When the war began, students prayed for the safety of local men fighting overseas. Before lunch, younger children recited the familiar prayer, “God is Good, God is Great, and we thank Him for this food.” Churches hosted Sunday School, and public-school graduations were often held in church buildings large enough to seat the community. A clergyman’s prayer or hymn frequently ended those ceremonies.
Christmas songs sung in class reflected the religious nature of the season and would not be heard in today’s classrooms. Children sang carols such as “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” and “The First Noel.” During the war years, church services often included standing prayers for the nation and “the boys in the service,” followed by the singing of “America” or another patriotic hymn.
By Christmas 1943, the nation had been at war for two years. The Selective Training and Service Act had already sent many local men into uniform, and uncertainty mixed with determination. Soon after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill lit the national Christmas tree in Washington as a symbol of unity and resolve. Outdoor holiday lights were turned off for the duration of the war. Christmas 1941 would prove to be the last near-normal Christmas for many children before the full impact of war was felt. The 2,403 Americans killed at Pearl Harbor were not forgotten.
Throughout the war, children still wrote letters to Santa, though there were fewer gifts beneath the tree. Those that appeared often included toy military vehicles, soldier figures, and even war bonds. Silk stockings, no longer available because silk was needed for the war effort, became the ultimate gift if one could be found. Families gathered around the radio to hear news reports, and both adults and children wrote letters to servicemen to keep them connected to home.
Schools and churches sometimes staged Christmas plays with children portraying figures from the biblical story. Making costumes was both fun and challenging. Children crafted gifts for their families, including candle holders made from white birch logs gathered in local woods. Classrooms were decorated with red and green paper chains and live Christmas trees adorned with handmade ornaments. To create “snow,” teachers mixed Lux soap powder with water and brushed it onto branches. Families often cut their own trees from nearby woods, though a purchased five-foot tree in 1941 cost about 75 cents.
West Milford men who lost their lives in World War II were Frank M. Sell, Arthur Vreeland, Dave Vreeland, John Eric Arnold, Walter Benjamin, Arthur O. Olden Jr., John F. Riegler and Stanley J. Stahura.
