大象传媒

It doesn't seem possible that rationing existed only forty years ago. Next time you throw out a perfectly good garment just because you don't like the colour, think how grateful a wartime housewife would have been.
Even though the war started on 3rd September 1939, rationing did not begin until January 1940. This was introduced gradually with butter, ham, bacon and sugar being the first items to be rationed. Rationing extended to other goods such as clothes and make-up, although lipstick was thought to keep up morale and so escaped!.
Each person had 20 points every four weeks and these points were used to 'buy' goods. The points applied to canned meat, vegetables and fish. Housewives could not choose where to shop as they were registered with shopkeepers. The amount of stock shops could hold was related to the number of customers they had registered with them.
However there were benefits to this. Favoured customers were often allowed spare items 'under the counter'. When luxury goods came into stock customers would queue for hours. Word would go around and long queues were formed of people just hoping for the chance to buy everyday food such as apples and bananas.
Flower gardens and lawns also suffered during the war as these were turned into vegetable plots. 'Dig for Victory' was the government slogan and recipes were published by the Ministry of Food which used the excess vegetables in rather unusual ways. Carrot marmalade was not one of the nation's favourites.
As rationing extended to clothes, toiletries, jewellery and cosmetics, women had to becaome very inventive. Jewellery could be fashioned from bottle tops, corks and cup hooks. Burnt corks were used to make mascara and bicarbonate of soda was used as an anti-perspirant. The Ministry of Supply stated that cosmetics were as important to women as tobacco was to men. Liquid stocking became an essential as silk stockings were very rare. This was a form of make-up that women painted on their legs to look like stockings and even drew a line up the back of the legs.

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