Mrs. Gunn's Diary: Jan. 28, 1942

Snow, torpedoes, a play review, a first-aid class, and military service

Mrs. Gunn was all over the map in her diary entry today. The spring weather had abruptly ended, indicated with her one-word observation “Snow.” A German U-boat had sunk another U.S. ship, “350 lives lost.” She was writing a review of one of the plays she saw in New York to present to her women’s club. Her Red Cross first-aid class would start on Feb. 9.

Meanwhile, a friend had written her a letter saying she had given a tea for 125 people “in their new home.” Mrs. Gunn observed that it was too bad that Jeannette — I suppose she was the friend’s daughter — was seeing so many of her friends “going off to war.”

The first peace-time draft in U.S. history had been instated in the fall of 1940 and expanded after Pearl Harbor. Paid subscribers can read on about how the military services were getting their manpower. And womanpower.

The iconic recruiting poster featuring Uncle Sam was the work of illustrator James Montgomery Flagg and first used in World War I. Dozens of recruiting posters for various branches of the service were rolled out during World War II. Some are shown below.