UK wartime clothes rationing

[Laura Corin]

I thought that this link might be useful.

 

ETA: It's a genuine link - history article from the BBC.

 

L

[shawthorne44]

That was interesting.  When I see links and one post I worry about what I might see.  But, then I saw the post count.   

Not WWII, but my aunt told me that double-breasted suits were worn in the depression because men lost so much weight and they couldn't waste the money on another suit.  

[TrixieB]

I thought that this link might be useful.

 

ETA: It's a genuine link - history article from the BBC.

 

L

 

That is really interesting!  I particularly liked the color photos; many WWII pictures are black & white so they don't show what the clothing *really* looked like.

[Aras]

That was really interesting! 

[Laura Corin]

My mother still has a purple velvet gown that she made out of curtain material - at some point she was able to get hold of that.  It's a gorgeous thing, and heavy!  It was similar in style to this.

[justasque]

I thought that this link might be useful.

 

Thanks for this!!!  I'm a huge fan of the Imperial War Museum.  Their Ministry of Food exhibit a few years back was incredibly comprehensive; I spent all day there, including a surprisingly delish lunch in the caf, based on war-era ration-friendly recipes.  

[maize]

Thanks for posting! 

 

It was fun to see all the color; as the video pointed out, we see the WWII era mostly through black and white photos.

[Sahamamama]

Foyle's War fans here. Enjoyed the link.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Here's a video series (8 hours worth) that DS and I watched and loved.

 

[Guest]

So cool! Wish I lived over there to go see the display.

[Heather62]

I could have used this last year! We did a lot of the food rationing things and cooked several meals from both the housewife and soldier's perspective.  Very fun when we knew it was temporary. 

[Ewe Mama]

Thank you for sharing this! I'm very interested in this topic and other "home front" challenges.

[Reefgazer]

Reminds me of Scarlett O'Hara and her curtain dress in Gone With the Wind.

My mother still has a purple velvet gown that she made out of curtain material - at some point she was able to get hold of that.  It's a gorgeous thing, and heavy!  It was similar in style to this.

 

[Reefgazer]

This is a great link, thanks!  My mom tells stories of how nylon was in short supply during WWII and she (along with every other woman) would draw a line down the back of their bare legs to simulate the seam on nylon hosiery. 

[shawthorne44]

My aunt has a WWII era cookbook.  It had a lot of advice on making the most of less.  Flipping through I read on section on the healthful benefits of frying vegetables in leftover fat.  It was a bit shocking at first.  But, not after you realize people were eating less, therefore those calories were healthy and there wasn't an excess of meat consumed in the first place, so, yes, the fat was probably very healthful.  

[Laura Corin]

My aunt has a WWII era cookbook.  It had a lot of advice on making the most of less.  Flipping through I read on section on the healthful benefits of frying vegetables in leftover fat.  It was a bit shocking at first.  But, not after you realize people were eating less, therefore those calories were healthy and there wasn't an excess of meat consumed in the first place, so, yes, the fat was probably very healthful.  

 

It's like when I lived in China in 1985.  Food was often (when people could manage it) really oily.  But protein was scarce and meat pretty rare.  So that oil was crucial to obtaining adequate calories.  I used to buy cooking oil for Chinese friends from the foreigners-only store, so that they could supplement their oil ration - they insisted on paying for it, but just by getting them the oil I was increasing their family calories.

 

Supposedly the UK wartime years were the healthiest (as far as diet, body weight and exercise) that the British populace has ever been.  It may even have increased intelligence.

[Loesje22000]

Now I want to go to London.

It should be doable from this side of the channel.

 

But picking a place to stay gives me a headache: too many options...

[mumto2]

It's like when I lived in China in 1985. Food was often (when people could manage it) really oily. But protein was scarce and meat pretty rare. So that oil was crucial to obtaining adequate calories. I used to buy cooking oil for Chinese friends from the foreigners-only store, so that they could supplement their oil ration - they insisted on paying for it, but just by getting them the oil I was increasing their family calories.

 

Supposedly the UK wartime years were the healthiest (as far as diet, body weight and exercise) that the British populace has ever been. It may even have increased intelligence.

The wartime intelligence article is fascinating. I hear so many stories of life during the war that always amaze me. Rationing went on for so much longer in England. One of my friend's mum was a really creative cook and replaced sugar with parsnips very successfully in many recipes. She made something with a parsnip recipe as an example years ago and it was really good, as in even my kids were willing to eat it. Think it was a sweet bread. Lol

[Laura Corin]

The wartime intelligence article is fascinating. I hear so many stories of life during the war that always amaze me. Rationing went on for so much longer in England. One of my friend's mum was a really creative cook and replaced sugar with parsnips very successfully in many recipes. She made something with a parsnip recipe as an example years ago and it was really good, as in even my kids were willing to eat it. Think it was a sweet bread. Lol

 

My family recipe for Christmas Pudding has grated carrots in it.  We faithfully reproduced it every year, until the year my mother said, 'You know it's only carrots because we couldn't get fruit and sugar in the war, don't you?'

[mumto2]

My family recipe for Christmas Pudding has grated carrots in it. We faithfully reproduced it every year, until the year my mother said, 'You know it's only carrots because we couldn't get fruit and sugar in the war, don't you?'

:lol:

[momacacia]

That is very cool! I love the silk map lingerie!

[momacacia]

My family recipe for Christmas Pudding has grated carrots in it. We faithfully reproduced it every year, until the year my mother said, 'You know it's only carrots because we couldn't get fruit and sugar in the war, don't you?'

Gosh, think of what a healthy way to live it would have been? (Bearing in mind that the stress and possibly not being able to get "enough" created additional health issues....)

[Laura Corin]

Gosh, think of what a healthy way to live it would have been? (Bearing in mind that the stress and possibly not being able to get "enough" created additional health issues....)

 

Yes - the PTSD was suffered by combatants and civilians alike.  A study recently thought to map any correlation between mental illness in the elderly and whether they, as children, had been evacuated to live with strangers during the war.  Strong correlation...

[lailasmum]

My parents had pretty awful malnutrition in WW2 and the years after. I think the rations were possibly healthy enough for adults but not growing kids. 

[Laura Corin]

My parents had pretty awful malnutrition in WW2 and the years after. I think the rations were possibly healthy enough for adults but not growing kids. 

 

That makes sense.  My mother was already fifteen in 1939.  My father was nine in 1939, but was sent to Canada in 1940.  He was prevented from going to school by the distant relative with whom he was staying, but I think he was fed.