Abstract
Rationing and shortages, have come to pervade popular representations of the Home Front. The introduction in 1940 of food rationing, followed by clothing in June 1941 and the removal of the small petrol ration for private motoring in March 19421 significantly extended the war into the domestic sphere, the ‘Home Front’. Rationing made the battle to materially provide for the family a battle against the enemy whilst aiming to ensure that all the civilian population in the Second World war had access to basic necessities at a reasonable price. Contemporary official rhetoric suggested rationing contributed to the ‘People’s War’ whereby a cohesive nation united in common sacrifices for a single purpose: defeating the enemy. For many housewives for whom it became an almost moral obligation to maintain the home and, as the popular song suggested, ‘keep the home fires burning’, rationing, food shortages, fuel targets and official dictates against waste turned everyday life on the Home Front into hard work.
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© 2014 Elspeth King and Maggie Andrews
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King, E., Andrews, M. (2014). Second World War Rationing: Creativity and Buying to Last. In: Andrews, M., Lomas, J. (eds) The Home Front in Britain. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137348999_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137348999_12
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