On this day in 1940 (info. from Chambers Book of Days) the first rationing of WWII was introduced in Britain. It started with bacon and ham, butter and sugar.
Rationing had been talked about in Parliament in the early 1930's as soon as war seemed likely. They had learned that 'Food is a Munition of War' as soon as submarine attacks began targeting shipping and caused severe shortages in 1916 and during the rest of the Great War.
Farming was really in the doldrums at this time mainly caused by the Depression of the 1930s when many farmworkers had left the land for the towns for better pay in the factories. Marginal land had gone back to brambles, gorse and bracken and drainage had been neglected leaving land boggy and useless. So that in 1939 Britain was dependent on imports for 92% of fats, 51% of meat and bacon,73% of sugar and 87% of flours and cereals as well as a large amount of cheese, eggs and vegetables. (info from the Spuds, Spam etc book below)
There had to be a way of distributing limited amounts fairly and rationing made sure that the more well off couldn't buy more of basic foods than those with a smaller income. Other things were rationed later on and also a points system introduced for foods that were not always available.
Among my WWII Home Front book collection I've got several good books about food production, rationing and cooking at the time.
There's a Facebook Group HERE where many people are doing a 21st century rations challenge either to save money, to lose weight or just out of curiosity.
I wouldn't want to do a war-time ration challenge as I'm too fond of fruit but have a couple of times in the past few years done challenges of eating only local - East Anglian- produced foods for a week at a time, it's not easy and would be even harder now I can't grow much (and blasted pigeons have ruined my Purple Sprouting Broccoli!) So much of our food is still imported and as houses keep being built on farmland I can't see that improving.
If rationing had to happen now I wonder what food would be rationed first?
Although going by what happened during Covid perhaps it wouldn't be food but would have to be toilet rolls!
(And nothing to do with anything above - I'm looking forward to a new series of Silent Witness starting tonight - I know some people think it's too far from the truth of what really happens in a path. lab. but I like it anyway. And it's a series of 10 which is more than they usually make.)
Back Tomorrow
Sue
I didn't know there was a rationing project. It must be interesting to do though more limiting than people might realise.
ReplyDeleteMy Mum worked in a grocers shop during the war and told many stories about rationing and how people coped, swapping coupons and such. It certainly wouldn't hurt if sugar was rationed! We'd all probably be better off in many ways. You have an amazing collection of books.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your Silent Witness and ignore the naysayers.
One of my earliest memories is that my parents' ration book was kept in the cupboard next to the back room fireplace. Rationing for some items continued into the nineteen fifties.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoy silent witness no matter how far fetched it gets so thank you for the heads up.
ReplyDeleteInteresting facts about wartime rationing.
Alison in Wales x
That is quite the selection of books on rationing. I enjoy Silent Witness and as someone who worked in a lab (though not a path lab) the tests themselves are pretty much dead on, it is just that they should take a bit longer. But I do supposed they need to speed the results up for the show.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I've just started watching Silent Witness -- I've been impressed with all I've seen. The rationing is a fascinating subject and sometimes I think we should do it here for a month (for everyone) just to remind people that in some places in the world the scarcity is a daily thing. We are so spoiled.
ReplyDeleteI remember sweets being rationed!
ReplyDeleteI remember rationing and going to Beanland's corner shop at the end of our street with the ration book.
ReplyDeleteI used to watch Silent Witness, but found it unbelievable that Forensic Pathologists got so involved in investigating and solving crimes.
Yes, I've been a member of 'Living on WW" Rations the 1940s Experiment since Carolyn started it a couple of years ago. We've got nearly seven thousand members now, it's a very popular subject. Although it's causing quite a bit of confusion now we've got so many members from the USA.
ReplyDeleteWe only talking as we drove home a couple of hours ago, about how much of the farmland near us has been either built on already or is about to be built on. We both said that as a country we would be up the creek without a paddle if we needed to get our country as self sufficient as possible again.
I haven't watched Silent Witness since Amanda Burton left it, now that's a long time ago!
You own a large collection of books on rationing and likely could manage well under any circumstance. I like the idea of growing more on my own property. My problem is how to protect it from the wildlife. I do not have a pigeon issue but they do sound pretty destructive. It is very disappointing to grow something and see it destroyed... This Spring, I will install an electric fence around my fruit trees. This could be my solution?
ReplyDeleteI remember being about 10 or so. My very elderly grandmother (my mother was adopted) gave me a jar of blue and red tokens and told me most seriously to keep them in a safe place so that if rationing ever happened again, we would have food. That was quite a tough time, but things were not nearly as desperate as they were for you folks.
ReplyDeleteThe desire to be equitable possibly explains the story I heard of the ban on backyard pigs. In fact there were inspectors who came around to make sure there were no hidden pigs. Of course British people are nothing but inventive and the offending pig would be passed from neighbour to neighbour ahead of the inspectors or children would hastily take them for a walk in the woods. This may have been early on when things were still a bit of a muddle because surely any pig would have been good for the overall health of the population.
ReplyDeleteThank you to every one above for comments.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting post. I remember talking to Mum about rationing. I think it would be such a shock to people these days. They'd probably put up a fit about it.
ReplyDeleteI love Silent Witness. It might be a while before the next one comes out here but I can at least hope lol
Had to chuckle at that toilet roll comment - I think the same would apply here if rationing was introduced today! :)
ReplyDeleteI am afraid that the Hawaiian Islands, where I live, are just as reliant now on imported food. As soon as there is a threat of shortages, such as an approaching hurricane or shipping strike, it is toilet paper, spam and big bags of rice that everybody is rushing to buy.
ReplyDelete