´óÏó´«Ã½

Henry Ford. Henry is 90 years old, and is a resident of the New Wycliffe Home for the Blind in Leicester. He was interviewed by Ayisha . The article has been added to the Website with his permission and he understands the Terms and Conditions of the website.

Rationing.
Nearly all food was rationed and there was a ‘points’ system to get the luxury food.
Henry said that meat was quite hard to get. Bread was rationed, the bakers had to bake a ‘National Loaf’ which was a grey colour, rather than white. The country had to import sweet foods, such as jam, marmalade and chocolate. There were few chickens and fresh eggs were rationed; dried egg, from America, was used for everyday cooking. Jam came from South Africa and spread very thinly. Tinned tomatoes also came from America. Sugar was also rationed.
Henry also remembered that an old lady was fined for putting bread out for the birds.

Henry worked in Grantham during the war years, working 11 hour shifts, 7 days a week for 3 and a half years. If the siren sounded , he would go down to the shelters-everyone was afraid of the sirens. In the morning he would go to work dressed in a leather coat, a steel helmet and rubber boots, carrying his gas mask in a cardboard box on a string over his shoulders. They would dilute petrol with paraffin to make it go further. Officially issued petrol was dyed pink.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.