MEMORIAL DAY 1931?

New Jersey in 1931 in the small town that I lived in was in the throes of the Great Depression. I was probably five years old and went to the parade on the main street of our town with my father. To me it was a big one but it probably was very short with mostly local people and bands marching.

We met a friend of my dad's that day and I remember their conversation, not entirely but they were discussing a "march on Washington". I was not sure what that was about but later found out it was WW1 veterans planning a march on Washington.DC.

Since it was the depression the veterans were apparently promised a bonus for being in the service during the "GREAT WAR". Jimmy tupper was a vet and he was going. Now I may be off on the year but they were quite excited about the occasion.

Since the depression was in full swing the money must have been really important to the people who had been promised it after the war. Mr Tupper was very upset. He did actually go after the discussion.

I guess the government turned on the Veterans on the day they marched. General McArthur was in charge of the Army at that time and he told the soldiers to threaten the veterans with guns. So they disbanded as a group and never apparently received the bonus they had been promised. It was a bad time for everyone.

The depression to children like me did not mean much. We thought that life was the same as it always had been. We ate and played freely on the streets and did not worry about money. Except the one time I was sent to the corner to get a bottle of milk by my mother and I dropped the bottle on the way home. There was broken glass and milk on the ground. Luckily for me my mother was just sad about my carelessness and I think she cried a little bit. We were not starving but she had four children.

My dad was lucky in a way because he held a job throughout the depression years and he was able to support us.

When I say support, he also supported my grandmother, my two young uncles and an Aunt who all lived together in an old Victorian house with us. So the money stretched and we got our penny candy and did not go humgry. I am not sure about the adults. They all seemed to enjoy life and we had fun playing street games and board games without threat or danger. Both uncles went to sea somewhere in that time and worked on ships that sailed around the world. Almost no pay but they ate and travelled and took the burden of support off my father.

I think my family benefited in many ways from living in that time. I never heard anyone complain or say they were hungry. Homeless men would come to our door at times and my grandma would give them whatever she could.

Times have changed and all the people mentioned are gone now. All I can think is that they enjoyed their lives as it was at the time. They all survived into fairly long ages and life did become easier.