Another Little Drop...

1942
Sound
2m

National Flour at the ready: peppy WWII cookery short sponsored by Vim.

This peppy wartime cookery short looks at first glance like another Ministry of Information lesson in ration-book thrift. In fact, the makers of Vim scouring powder sponsored this series of adverts-cum-public information films, peppered with MoI-approved recipes. Here, no-nonsense Yorkshireman Joe Murgatroyd shows how to make the best of National Flour in a frugal pie, demonstrating for the ladies "the kind of look you can bring to a man's face" with a sturdy crust. Young sidekick Oswald gets lumbered with the washing up - naturally aided by lashings of Vim.

Ration Book Britain

As if the bombs weren't enough, wartime Britons faced another fearsome foe: the ration book...

Everyday goods, from food and fuel to clothing, became luxuries - especially with supplies from Britain's Empire territories routinely intercepted by Nazi U-boats. Public information messages urged housewives to get creative with dried eggs and potato peel. Austerity was soul-sapping, and lasted long after the peace was won.

But rationing did help foster a sense of 'all in it together' and focused minds on managing scarce resources (while also creating profitable opportunities for the entrepreneurial 'spiv'). Make-do-and-mend became second nature, and wartime Brits recycled and salvaged more diligently then even today's eco-conscious citizens.