the great war, WWI OS ways etc

thenanny2die4

I know this isn't the era you've asked about, being inter-war, however, at twenty years later, I suspect the differences would probably be minimal. It's really quite humbling to see a nursing mother surviving on bread and butter, cups of tea and precious little else.


Hit this link and scroll down for examples of weekly budgeting and diet.

mardatha

Thanks for that nanny, very interesting. And rapidly going backwards to those days now.

Austin_Allegro

There weren't so many food shortages in the First World War as there were in the Second - in WW2 there was a blockade of British ports, the war lasted longer, and after the war rationing had to continue for several years to boost British exports and help feed starving Europe (not helped by the worst winter on record in '47).

None of that happened in the First World War and rationing only came in briefly at the end of the war.

I believe in the USA there were also shortages but not sure if there was rationing.

What's less known is that in the First World War there was a 'mini blitz ' in which about 1000 civilians died, from bombing by airships and early bomber planes, as well as coastal shelling by German warships. There was no real civil defence or early warning system; people had to shelter in cellars or tube stations during raids and there were no air raid sirens - just policemen on bicycles blowing whistles with signs round their neck saying 'TAKE COVER' (seriously!) Hard to believe now really.

IIRC there are some books on food rationing in the First World War on the Internet Archive, but I didn't find them particulary interesting, the WW2 ones are better.

Toonie

I have a replica postcard from WW1 which says "Eat Less Bread" which was a message that was sent out across many allied countries as due to the massive decrease in farm labourers wheat production greatly dropped. People were encouraged to eat things that did not require shipping.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

My Great Grandfather was spat at during great war. He was of Prussian decent. His son was equally treated. Their names had been anglicised some years earlier.

maryb

Nella Last's diaries make some mention of her difficulties during the First War when she was newly married. I think part of the reason rationing was introduced so early in WW2 was that ordinary people suffered a lot from shortages long before rationing was introduced. I believe that Britain came within about 2 weeks of running out of food in 1917 - one reason they made so much effort to increase home supplies in 1939. Cheap food from the Dominions had kept the populations in the industrial cities from starving for many years before 1914 and it never proved possible to replace imported food.