The Diary of Mrs. X - A personal look at 1945 California

In a wonderful antique shop in Nevada, I came across the most amazing diary kept by an unnamed woman in 1945. World War II was coming to a close, but we weren't quite there yet. Mrs. X lived in California, was a leader in the Girl Scouts, was married and had three children, one of which was a son serving in the military overseas. That's about all I know about her, but she left a wealth of information about wartime west coast America. Much of what she writes about is every day stuff, but those are the bits that are sometimes lost in the tales of grand adventure during the war. I am very pleased to be able to share some of her diary entries so that we can better learn about the war through the eyes of a very active and dedicated woman.

I consider my finding this diary a privilege and a responsibility. Since I don't know who she is or if her family is still around, as well as any friends and neighbors she mentions, I don't include any last names. To further protect her privacy, any difficulties she mentions with her marriage are left out of my posts.

Installment 1: January 1, 1945

Installment 2: January 2, 1945

Installment 3: January 28 - February 1, 1945

Installment 4: February 2, 1945

Installment 5: February 4 - March 15, 1945

Installment 6: March 16 - March 18, 1945

Installment 7: March 19, 1945

Installment 8: March 26 - April 13, 1945