Food Rationing during World War 2

Previous blog post was on CLOTHING RATIONS and this one is a little about the FOOD RATIONING during World War 2.

The State Library of Victoria has an article on this subject amongst their History Research area here.

In Australia, the war did not only affect those men and women who went to fight and serve abroad. Many things also had to change for those who remained at home.

Many men left their jobs to join the armed forces leading to a shortage of labour. New industries had to be created to supply the troops with weapons, uniforms and ammunition . The government had to control the buying and selling of scarce goods, to ensure that everyone received a fair share.

Australians began to experience shortages of almost everything they needed in daily life. At the time of World War II, most of them drank tea, not coffee. When the Japanese captured many of the countries that grew the tea supplied to Australia, this caused severe shortages. Enemy action in the Pacific also disrupted the normal supply of goods by ship to Australia. Australian troops abroad had to be supplied with food produced in Australia, and when thousands of American troops arrived in Australia to fight the war in the Pacific, they also had to be fed.

To ensure that everyone received a basic amount of essential supplies such as meat, butter, sugar and tea, the government brought in a system of rationing. Everyone had to apply for ration books, which contained a number of coupons. Each coupon gave the holder permission to buy a certain amount of something, usually over a weekly period. Despite the hardship, rationing was well received by the public because it applied to everyone equally. Nevertheless, when the government announced in May 1942 that they would impose rationing on clothing, there was a rush to buy as much as possible before rationing began. 

Petrol rationing was first enforced in Australia in October, 1940, a little more than twelve months after the commencement of the 1939-45 War.

No very drastic cuts in consumption were made for some time, but, commencing in April, 1941, when the replenishment of stocks from overseas supply sources was becoming increasingly difficult and uncertain, progressive reductions in the monthly allowances to civilian users were made, the basic ration being finally reduced to the equivalent of only 800 miles of running per annum.

The period of severest rationing lasted from late in 1941 until towards the end of 1944, non-military consumption during these three years or thereabouts being at a rate not very much in excess of one-third of the estimated pre-war rate of 30 million gallons per month.


another article about the Food, Clothing & Petrol Rationing can be found here on the Australian Bureau of Statistics website.

Museum Victoria also contains a lot of excellent information regarding the Food Rations.

the above Food Ration Cards were issued to:

Frederick William James ROBERTS [1900 - 1972]
May Eileen Rose ROBERTS (nee NORMAN) [1900 - 1985]
and their two sons:
Ronald Frederick ROBERTS and Dennis ROBERTS

ROBERTS family outside their home at St Kilda in 1934

with thanks to the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the State Library of Victoria for the above valuable information.

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rationing of clothing during the Second World War

 

We all know of the food rationing coupons that were issued during World War 2, but most of us are unaware of the clothing coupons.

Need a warm coat or hat? 

Think how hard it would have been during World War 2 when you would have to check how many coupons you had left to purchase the items?

Was not always about how much money was left in the wallet!

You were issued 112 coupons per year per adult.

To 'purchase' a mans hat it was 6 coupons, a pair of socks was 4 coupons, a ladies dressing gown was 15 coupons and a coat was 27 coupons.

 

The main reasons for clothing rationing were the serious falling off in imports, increased Service demands, and reduced labour for local production of textiles and making up of garments. 

in a shop window during WW2

Rationing regulations for food and clothing were gazetted on 14 May 1942. Rationing was introduced to manage shortages and control civilian consumption. It aimed to curb inflation, reduce total consumer spending, and limit impending shortages of essential goods. The broad reasoning behind the introduction of rationing was to ensure the equitable distribution of food and clothing. It was also hoped that a cut on consumer spending would lead to an increase in savings, which in turn could be invested in war loans.

Australians were never as short of food nor rationed as heavily as civilians in the United Kingdom. Rationing was enforced by the use of coupons and was limited to clothing, tea, sugar, butter, and meat. From time to time, eggs and milk were also rationed under a system of priority for vulnerable groups during periods of shortage.

Rationing was administered by the Rationing Commission. The basis for policing food rationing was through the surrender of coupons before rationed goods could be supplied. This had to occur between traders as well as consumers. Coupons were passed back from consumers to retailers, from retailers to wholesalers, and in many cases from wholesalers to producers, who were requested to return them to the commission.

Breaches of rationing regulations were punishable under the general provisions of National Security Regulations by fines of to £100 or up to six-months imprisonment. Responding to the complaint that these penalties were inadequate, the government passed the Black Marketing Act at the end of 1942. This Act was for more serious cases and could carry a minimum penalty of £1,000.

Summary:

Ration card for clothing, consisting of a single peach-coloured card with coupons to be cut off. Originally 24 coupons would have been included; three remain. The card is printed '1945-6 issue'. The card was issued to GALBRAITH of Clifton Hill.

Description:

Pink-coloured card, printed in black with coupons to be cut off from the left side. Three coupons remain from the original 24 supplied.


most of the above information came from the AWM (Australian War Memorial) website with grateful thanks.

The Clothing Ration Card was in my mothers possession but I have no knowledge of who Galbraith (of Clifton Hill) is.

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