War On The Home Front
Jennifer Wilding

When the subject of war is under discussion talk usually turns to arms and armament, battles, tactics, strategy and troop movements. When civilians come under consideration it is generally in the context of how many died during which bombing raid. Very little thought is given to their contributions to the war effort, and this is a grave oversight. Without civilian suppliers troops have no weaponry, no uniforms and they do not eat. Indeed, they have no reason to fight at all, for they would have no homes and no families to fight for and, hopefully, to return to.

The British were the first of the major Allied countries to enter into World War Two. An island nation with only a small land mass and a large population they were dependent upon outside sources for much of their food and a host of other commodities. When war broke out and the merchant navy began falling prey to U-boats British civilians were as embattled as British troops.

The mechanisms of rationing had been prepared before the declaration of war, consequently, when war was declared rationing was only a few days behind. It was controlled by the Ministry of Food and administered by a complex system of points and clip-out coupons found in the ration books that were issued to every person, children and adults alike. Almost everything, from food and furniture, to clothing and shoes had to be purchased with a combination of coupons and cash. Your new suit may have borne a price tag of five pounds, but if you did not have the requisite number of clothing coupons, you could not purchase the suit. The same restrictions applied to all consumer goods.

About the only non-rationed food was what you could grow yourself. Parkland and lawns were planted with food crops, everyone had a garden. That which could not be home grown had to be imported at great risk by the merchant navy. Certain items, such as tropical fruits, became completely unavailable. Other staple foods, milk and eggs for example, were most readily available only in dried form as it was much easier to transport and had far better keeping qualities Refined flour also became a thing of the past. It was replaced by "National Flour", which was completely unrefined and produced a heavy, gray loaf of bread. Naturally enough, given the uncooperative nature of the flour and the shortage of eggs, sugar and butter, fancy baking became little more than a fond memory.

Children received special allotments of milk, orange juice and rose hip syrup at baby clinics.

It must not be supposed, however, that all was grimness and deprivation. People still went out for meals, visited one another, got small rations of sweets, and had weddings. By pooling rations and saving the small quantities of necessary ingredients it was even possible to produce a wedding cake. Frostings and elaborate decorations were not available, but one could purchase cardboard mockups which presented a very creditable appearance. The cardboard decorations were removed when the bride wished to cut the cake. Wedding gowns, such as are worn today, were not a feature of wartime weddings. If you were lucky (and had generous friends and family) you could acquire enough clothing coupons to buy a smart suit, if you were really lucky, you could acquire a parachute from which to make a dress. It is hard to remember, but nylon was not introduced until the end of the war and parachutes were, at that time, made of real silk. It was not available on the open market, as all silk was used in the war effort. The silk from parachutes was not on the point system and was highly sought after to make underwear.

Anyone who watches old war movies is familiar with the shortage of silk stockings, if you were lucky enough to have a pair, and unlucky enough to get a run, you darned or crocheted the hole closed. Most girls made do with leg dye concocted of cold tea, or ersatz coffee (comprised largely of ground chicory or roasted dandelion roots) or leg makeup purchased at a pharmacy and painted on seams with eyebrow pencil. This made splashes of rain water a dreaded thing, as it would cause the illusion to melt away with embarrassing speed.

All textiles were in short supply, men's trousers were cut with no cuffs or pockets and women's skirts were very narrow. Oiled wool, however, was not rationed, school girls used it to knit waterproof hats, gloves and socks for men serving at sea. Fabric for home furnishings, curtains, towels, blankets and the like, including furniture, were on special coupons and stamped with a utility symbol. Flannelette, for baby clothes, was diverted to hospital use. Cellulose fibers, such as those used in bandages today, were not introduced until the end of the war and hospital dressings were not disposable.

Gasoline and rubber for tires were strictly rationed and reserved almost exclusively for emergency and military use. Anyone who owned a car simply put it up on blocks for the duration. People still visited with one another, however. The coal ration was very small, and when you went to someone else's house, you took a lump of coal with you as a sort of hostess gift. Coal fires were the most common form of home heating, staying warm was often a problem.

Other common household items disappeared. A great push was made to collect aluminum pots and pans, they were melted down and reappeared as fighter planes. Cigarette wrappers (when you could get cigarettes, they were very scarce) were, at that time, made largely of lead. These too were collected and turned into war material as were iron fences, railings and decorative items. Anything that could be collected and used in the war effort was . War time Britons brought reduce, reuse, and recycle to a high art.