York County stood firmly behind Allies on all fronts in WW II – 8/31 iconic images
York (Pa.) Ice Machinery Corporation, later York Corporation and today owned by Johnson Controls, served as a catalyst for the York Plan. Yorkco chairman William S. Shipley headed the York Manufacturers Association, which promoted the sharing of machinery and manpower to land large World War II defense contracts. Here, condensers are lined up on Yorkco’s shop floor. Background posts: York made big, heavy things and was immensely proud of it, The bomb: ‘And yet it stopped the war’ and ‘Her words helped win the war’.
Continuing the series of iconic photos – photos that capture layered moments – from York County, Pa.:
In plain view:
Workers stand behind water-cooled condensers for industrial refrigeration equipment at York Ice Machinery Corporation early in World War II. The York Plan is one of York County’s most illustrious contributions to the world.
Behind the scene: The position of the workers in a combat position is no accident. Early in the war, the government urged York Ice and other local industries to stick to their primary business, if their products could help the war effort. In York Ice’s case, refrigeration was needed, for example, to preserve food aboard transport ships supplying troops on a two-front war. York Ice later produced ordnance, too, as did many other York County factories. York countians contributed to the war on all fronts: children collecting milk weed pods for life jackets, women at home collecting cooking fat for munitions, women taking their children to day care so they could work in factories and more than 20,000 military men and women donning military uniforms. More than 570 York countians died in uniform in World War II.
Further details: Georg Sheets’ “Made in York” (York County Heritage Trust, 1991) and James McClure’s “In the thick of the fight,” (York Daily Record/York County Heritage Trust, 2005) tell more about the York Plan and other contributions on the home and war fronts.
Posts in this series:
– 400 years ago, John Smith explored Chesapeake Bay – 1/31 iconic images
– Declaration signer James Smith tops York County patriot list – 2/31 iconic images
– Going to market a longtime York County pastime – 3/31 iconic images
– William C. Goodridge: From slavery to success story – 4/31 iconic images
– Rebs’ short York visit creates long memories – 5/31 iconic images
–Artist Horace Bonham captured everyday life – 6/31 iconic images
–York County farm vs. factory tension relieved in overnight raid – 7/31 iconic images
– York County stood firmly behind Allies on all fronts in WW II – 8/31 iconic images
– Downtown thrived in post-WW II York – 9/31 iconic images
– After WWII success, Farquhar sells assets to out-of-town outfit – 10/31 iconic images.
– Sears, York County Shopping Center in the middle of things – 11/31 iconic images
– Three Mile Island emergency indelibly written into memories – 12/2 iconic images.
– People of varying religious groups founded York County – 13/31 iconic images
– President Reagan: ‘Harley is back and standing tall’ – 14/31 iconic images
– York’s mayor: ‘We are no longer unprotected’ – 15/31 iconic images
– Grange Hall represented past way of York County life – 16/31 iconic images.
– York County Honors Choir product of proud moment – 17/31 iconic images.
– Meeting of riot victims brought hope for racial accord – 18/31 iconic images.
– Property rights foundational factor in Lauxmont dispute – 19/31 iconic images.
– New baseball diamond serves as York cornerstone – 20/31 iconic images
– Season 2 of York’s campaign to come back – 21-23 of 31 iconic images
– York on knees as its men storm Normandy beaches – 24-25 of 31 iconic images
– One image illustrates two long-neglected subjects in York area – 26-27 of 31 iconic images
– Images explain changes in York County factories, farms – 28-29 of 31 iconic images
York County still home to unvarnished beauty – 30/31 iconic images
Latinos most recent migrant group to call York County home – 31/31 iconic images
For additional iconic photos of York County, see this blog’s iconic photo category.
To see the full series of iconic photos in a special York Daily Record/Sunday News publication, click here.
