The Road to Victory - Greater MetroWest and World War I
by Linda B. Forgosh
An exhibit to draw attention to New Jersey’s Jews who “stepped up” during World War 1 was prepared by the Jewish Historical Society of New Jersey (JHS) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of America’s entrance into the war. Its focus was on the role of Jews who lived in what is now the Greater MetroWest community and their participation – both in the field and on the home front – in World War I. The title was inspired by an L. Bamberger & Co. department store window display prepared by its design department. Little known is that artists who prepared “patriotic” displays during WWI were not required to serve in the military.
Central to the JHS exhibit are the large posters asking Newark’s residents to BUY BONDS to support New Jersey’s soldiers serving overseas in the Allied Expeditionary Force (AEF), as well as for American sailors whose ships patrolled the waters off the coast of France. Special attention was given to Newark, as it is New Jersey’s oldest and largest city, and to Louis Bamberger, owner and operator of L. Bamberger & Co. department store, who used his store to champion the sale of Liberty War Bonds.
In Bamberger’s opinion, it was everyone’s “duty” to buy a Liberty Loan bond. Hence, he placed a Liberty Loan booth on the first floor of his store, which was prime selling space, and invited shoppers to visit the store’s piano department where they discovered songwriter Irving Berlin signing sheet music for popular World War 1 songs such as “Oh How I Hate to get up in the Morning.”
There were a total of five war loan drives conducted in Newark – each was oversubscribed - for which Bamberger joined banks and other large firms to put Newark “over the top” for meeting the city’s assigned quotas. In the exhibit is a one-of-a-kind photograph of a Liberty War Bond rally featuring a replica of the United States Treasury and a large crowd of area residents consisting of Newark’s police and fire departments, enlisted soldiers, and Bamberger’s Cadet Corp assembled in the street adjacent to the Bamberger store all of whom donated money for the war effort.
Among one of the more endearing stories written about Newark’s volunteers and the sale of WWI war bonds was published in Newark’s Star Ledger newspaper. The story featured “Baby Lil,” or Lillian Marx, who at age 14 stood on a ladder located at the corner of Broad and Market Streets in downtown Newark where she would sing and dance to the popular WWI song “Over There,” and climb another rung every time someone in the crowd bought a Liberty Bond. President Woodrow Wilson, who spotted Lil, gave her a medal and thanked her for raising money for the war effort.
In 1917, Bamberger’s declared Liberty Day, whereby every dollar spent at Bamberger’s went towards the purchase of Liberty bonds. That same year there was a “class in training for relief of soldiers and sailors families that had members from the Newark branch of the National League for Women’s Service; a “Committee of 100” that took up war relief work in Newark; and men like Bamberger, Felix Fuld, Thomas N. McCarter, and Franklin Conklin were on an executive committee to raise Newark’s share of $750,000 for a Red Cross Drive through advanced subscriptions of $5,000.
Interest in World War I militaria led Bamberger’s to display a prototype of a bulletproof armor protector known as the Brewster-Heller Armor Protector, invented by Dr. Guy Otis Brewster, a dentist from Dover, New Jersey, and promoted by Emil Heller, also of Dover. The armor was demonstrated to dignitaries from the US Army but was never used in battle.
Day-to-day operations of Newark’s businesses adapted to ever changing government regulations. Among the welcome government regulations was a WWI
War Industries Board policy of no store returns after three days made at the request of the United States government through the Commercial Economy Board of the Council of National Defense. Returned goods resulted in higher prices.
Stores closed on Mondays and no deliveries were made in compliance with the ruling of the State Fuel Administrator. The city had “lightless nights” on Thursdays and Sundays to reduce consumption of coal for lighting purposes. Serious efforts were made to conserve paper as part of a ruling of the War Industries Board. Residents were advised to save sugar, sell their platinum jewelry and donate walking canes and invalid chairs for returning soldiers.
There were appeals for Newarkers to provide vacant rooms for war workers in Newark’s ship yards that warned “if we can’t provide housing, Newark will lose valuable war contracts.” Such information was found in the Bamberger store’s employee newsletter, Counter Currents.
Bamberger was particularly interested in Newark boys serving in the military. In response to information that Newark’s relief organizations were not sending packages or necessary supplies to Newark’s soldiers, Bamberger donated Thanksgiving dinners and had them sent to Camp Dix, via Bamberger’s Motor Delivery Service.
Starting in 1918, a “Service Roll” with sixty-nine names of “Bamberger Boys” serving in the military was printed on the back cover of Counter Currents continuously for one year. The number increased to 132 each of whom Bamberger kept in touch with and who, in turn kept in touch with him.
No matter where a “Bamberger boy” was stationed he was assured of receiving packages for Christmas. For co-workers stationed in France, Bamberger sent a personal shopper who spoke French to Paris to buy and ship gifts for Christmas from French stores to boys serving in the AEF.
With the signing of the Armistice, it was Bamberger who sent a heartfelt message welcoming the “brave boys returning home again to normal occupations and mourned those “who made the supreme sacrifice for country and humanity.”
Posted November 6, 2017
