Rationing in wartime Britain.

Tom Holloway (xuegx@CSV.WARWICK.AC.UK)
Sun, 26 Jan 1997 21:09:24 +0000 

Jim Froelich sent a letter last week asking about recycling
of products during the war.  (It was in Word for Windows
format which not everyone can read).

Here it is below, with some answers from myself (THE LONDON
SCHOOLBOY) and Anne Oliver (THE LAND GIRL).

>My name is Jim Froelich.  I am a Sophomore at Red River High
>School in Grand Forks, North Dakota (USA).
>We are studying WW2 in our English class, and are doing
>reports on the topics of our choice.  I have chosen the
>subject of rationing and recycling in WW2.
>
>> What types of products were rationed?

In Britain almost all foods were rationed except bread and
potatoes (but even bread was rationed after the war),
clothing (including shoes and boots), furniture, coal.  For
certain occupations you needed a permit to get things, such
as alarm clocks, wellington boots and other protective
clothing.  Petrol was rationed but was only available for
serious users like Doctors; hardly anyone drove a car.

You can get a list of foods and the amounts allowed each
month from our Web page for the GRANNY'S KITCHEN Project at
www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/chatback/grannys/recipe.html

It's very important to remember that the ration-book was
more or less a GUARANTEE of a minimum amount.  Always in
short supply were oranges, bananas and coffee.  These
couldn't be rationed because they came from abroad and
depended on U-Boat activity.

We were encouraged to eat LOTS of potatoes and home-grown
vegetables, rabbit, and dried egg dishes.



>> What types of materials were recycled, and how were they used?

- All iron railings were removed by the government to be
  made into weapons (millions of tons of metal - a legacy
  from the Victorian era's love of wrought iron).

- All aluminum pots and pans were collected to be made into
  aircraft engines.

- Old woollen clothing was unpicked by volunteer knitting
  circles and reknitted into warm woollies for the troops.

- Nylon parachute material was sold for underclothing (but
  was hard to get...)  Anne Oliver's Wedding Trousseau was
  made from old parachutes!

- Sheets were patched, then 'sides-to-middle' and finally
  turned into bandages.

- Envelopes were reused and newspapers were collected (by
  small children) and taken to Town Halls.  Where possible
  scrap food was collected and taken out to farms for the
  pigs.  String was in terribly short supply.



>> What effect did rationing and recycling have on civilian
>life?  {I am working on topics such as Victory Gardens,
>cars, travel, luxuries, black market, patriotic attitude,
>and entertainment.}

It made us much more careful, hungry a lot of the time but
generally very healthy. Walking or cycling a few miles to
work was very common (and it kept us FIT!)

But shortages also led to a very difficult situation where a
lot of things were sold 'under the counter' to friends or to
people who would do you favours.  This isn't the same as
'the black market' which was much more of a wholesale
arrangement and definitely illegal.  'Under the Counter'
goods were legal but in very short supply.  Oranges would be
a good example, and if you were friends with the chap in the
butcher's shop you might find a pound of sausages slipped
into your shopping bag.



>> Did rationing or recycling benefit soldiers or civilians
>directly?  How?

Yes we think it did.  There was a certain amount of
'fiddling' but on the whole we both think it worked well.



>Thank you very much for your time and effort.
>Jim Froelich

Not at all.  Good questions.  Thanks for asking them.

Anne Oliver
Tom Holloway
======================================
Internet:   t.holloway@warwick.ac.uk
http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/chatback/