War Takes No Holiday: Saving the Phone Calls for Uncle Sam

 During World War II on the home front, civilians sacrificed and saved so that the soldiers, especially those overseas, would have what they needed to fight to victory. Barksdale Air Field promoted the “Jeep-O” civilian /G.I. ride-sharing program to conserve gas and seats on the buses, and homemakers and school children were rationing food and saving and collecting cooking fats. A particularly poignant sacrifice, especially during the holidays, was severely limiting time on the telephone with family and loved ones.

An advertisement from Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company in the December 3rd, 1942, “Planter’s Press” newspaper of Bossier City featured a smiling young woman telephone operator with the caption, “I am a Soldier of the Wires”. This operator persona decided with the holidays approaching to “speak right out and ask for the help [she feels] sure everyone is willing to give” even though, writing as someone with far-away family, it’s a pretty tough ask:

"This December, war will take no holiday and Uncle Sam will be using the telephone more than ever. Therefore, we operators are asking you to help us by not making holiday greeting long distance calls this year. We urge that no such calls be made, especially on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or New Year's Eve."

Even after New Year’s celebrating was over, the demand was still high. The pleas to yield the phone lines continued in the January 7, 1943 issue of the “Planter’s Press:”

“The New Year, 1943, is the ‘end of the beginning.’ A greater burden of toil and conflict lies ahead. And while America’s sons fight in desert and jungle, telephone communication lines at home will carry an ever-increasing load of calls vital to Victory.

Telephone materials are still going to battle in the form of guns and shells. So, to get the most out of our present equipment, we will continue to need your help in keeping long distance lines clear of all but necessary calls. And remember, the greater the distance you talk, the greater the chance of your call getting in the way of important war calls.

Phone customers were also requested to make their calls in the daytime so that lines were available in the evening when soldiers were at liberty to make calls. (Though the “Barksdale Bark” newspaper encouraged the men on base to call in daytime, if at all possible, since it was the less-busy, though more-expensive time on the phone lines. Customers were also asked to keep the lines and operators free by looking up phone numbers themselves in the Directory.

Most of these requests were shown in clever ‘ads’ from the phone company itself, Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph, which served most of the American South. But these ads corresponded with an order from the War Department, which appeared in the 15 October 15, 1942, Bossier Banner-Progress:

The Board of War Communications ordered long distance telephone calls relating to the war effort and public safety be given priority over all other calls, effective November 15. Calls concerning moving armed forces during combat operations, urgent orders for the armed forces, immediate dangers due to presence of the enemy and disasters materially affecting the war effort or public security will get first priority. Operators will give precedence to top priority calls at all times.

If your family has any Bossier Parish WWII stories to tell or photos to share, or if you have any information, stories, or photos about local efforts to help out servicemembers during WWII, we would love to see them or to copy them, with permission, to add to the History Center’s research collection. Please visit us at the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center. Don’t forget we have a monthly World War II’s Day coffee and conversation group that meets the second Tuesday of the month, which will continue in the New Year, at the History Center from 10:30-noon. Our next meeting is on January 10th.

We are located at 2206 Beckett St, Bossier City, LA and are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org

Article by: Pam Carlisle

Images: 

1) The Planters Press: 30 Nov 1944

2) The Planters Press:03 Aug 1944

3) The Planters Press:14 Dec 1944

For other fun facts, photos, and videos, be sure to follow us @BPLHistoryCenter on FB, @bplhistorycenter on TikTok