大象传媒

"This story was submitted to the site by the 大象传媒's Peoples War Team in the East Midlands with Beryl Bickerstaffes permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions"

Previous to 1942 the clothes coupons had been 60 per person, in 1942 this allocation was reduced to 48. Austerity regulations dictated the number of pleats, seams, pockets and button holes allowed in garments and embroidery and sequins were banned. This, of course, applied only to new clothes, those from before the war could remain as they were. Underclothes were limited to six shapes all of which were economical on the cut to save material. In 1941 a woman鈥檚 suit (then called a costume) cost 11 coupons, a lined woollen over coat 18, a woollen dress 11 and a pair of knickers 2. The siren suit was a standard garment for civilian women, especially in the winter.

A military look was fashionable with brass buttons, square shoulders and dyes limited to dusky blues, bottle greens, burgundies, brown or black. Eventually fashion petered out and women wore what they could. A good many of our clothing coupons went on my school uniform.

Men鈥檚 suits were single breasted, with fake pockets here and there, narrow trousers and no turn ups. Of course the rich could still obtain haute couture at a price.

Most people 鈥渕ade do and mended鈥� and parachute silk, no longer good enough for its original purpose, was a highly desirable item and was turned into night dresses and underwear. People who could sew and who owned a sewing machine were courted by those who could not and turned an honest penny making up garments. Elastic became terribly short by about 1942 but mother鈥檚 cellar chests provided the necessary.

By 1942 a nightdress costing 拢1.5.0 could not be brought for less than 拢12, and other items showed a similar increase, far, far above the usual increase. The average weekly wage rose from 拢2.13.3 in 1939 to 拢4.16.0. Stockings became increasingly difficult and on the black market fetched 拢2 per pair.

It was during the war that women first began to wear trousers (then called slacks) on a regular basis although some had been worn before the war for holidays and certain sports. The Land Army also popularised the wearing of trousers.

After hostilities were over but before rationing finished, clothing and textile coupons were reduced on bedding and my mother brought two large, thick white blankets and had them dyed, one red and the other dark blue. We took them to a tailor (who, incidentally was Jewish) and he made a coat for each of us. I had the red one and she the blue. We had to buy the lining using our clothing coupons. Towards the end of the war the number of clothing coupons were reduced yet again to 25. As I was growing all through the war, this must have been a burden on my mother, even though there was a second hand clothing sale in the school

Food and clothing parcels were sent to Britain from American and Canadian citizens. They came over on the Atlantic convoys that were bringing arms and armaments and food. They were distributed to people who had been bombed out. Some of these came to Nottingham and we received some clothes, bedding and curtains which mother managed to re make to fit our windows.

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