Over the years I have seen everything from a declaration of war to letters from the good and the great along with plenty of other official stuff which once carried great significance.
But in its way this little piece of paper is up there with the rest and would certainly have been greeted by the people of Chorlton as a very important moment, for this marked almost the end of 14 years of rationing which had begun in 1940.
Then on 11 March 1940 all meat was rationed. Clothes coupons were introduced and a black market soon developed while queueing outside shops and bartering for extra food became a way of life.
There were allowances made for pregnant women who used special green ration books to get extra food rations, and breastfeeding mothers had extra milk.
Restrictions were gradually lifted three years after war had ended, starting with flour on 25 July 1948, followed by clothes on 15 March 1949.
On 19 May 1950 rationing ended for canned and dried fruit, chocolate biscuits, treacle, syrup, jellies and mincemeat.
Petrol rationing, imposed in 1939, ended in May 1950 followed by soap in September 1950.
Three years later sales of sugar were off ration and last May butter rationing ended."*
Now rationing couldn’t have been easy but it was a real attempt to prevent the dramatic rise in food prices which had marked the first three years of the Great War.
Back then the continued rise in the cost of living had not only meant great hardship for the majority of the country but contributed to a real sense that some were profiteering from the shortages at the expense of the rest.
And so I am pleased that Bob Jones shared this little bit of history with me.
Pictures; courtesy of Bob Jones
*1954: Housewives celebrate end of rationing, http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/4/newsid_3818000/3818563.stm
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