Shoes during World War II

Clothing, as well as all consumer goods, were very scarce during World War II. Clothing and shoes were really affected. You were lucky if you had a mother who could sew, as bought clothes were limited and the quality was poor. Recycling of adult clothing into children’s clothing was frequent. Feed sacks were also used in sewing as fabric was very limited.

Shoes were especially hard to come by. Shoe repair shops stayed busy resoling and repairing shoes to make them last as long as possible. During the war when I was about 10, mother gave me a party for my birthday in March. I invited my close girlfriends to attend. One of my friends, Margaret Ann Giese, arrived wearing a pair of new shiny red sandals. We were all envious. She said that they had lucked out that day and had gotten them at Sandgartens on Main St. in Elgin when they first came in.

We were still at that age when we were all very active and did some chasing around. Margaret Ann’s shoes started to disintegrate. By the time her mother came to pick her up, she only had a handful of loose red straps (probably cardboard painted red). I will never forget the look on her mother’s face when she saw what was left of the shoes she had purchased that day!

— More Stories, Elgin, etc. available at the Elgin Depot Museum.

The Elgin Depot Museum is a 501(c)(3) local non-profit serving Elgin with local history. Memorial donations can be sent to PO Box 1234, Elgin. For more, visit facebook. com/elgin.depot.