Monday 3 April 2023

Imperial War Museums - Family Activities this Easter

 

IWM | IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUMS

Boys from Bethnal Green, London, prepare a vegetable patch on a bomb site, 1942
Rationing in the Second World War
In January 1940, a few months into the Second World War, the British government introduced food rationing.

The scheme, overseen by the Ministry of Food, was designed to ensure a fair share of food for all at a time of national shortage. Every man, woman and child was given a ration book with coupons. These were required before rationed goods could be purchased.

Basic foodstuffs such as sugar, meat, fats, bacon and cheese were directly rationed by an allowance of coupons. Shoppers had to register with particular retailers. Other items, such as tinned goods, cereals and biscuits, were rationed using a points system.

For these items, the number of points required changed according to availability and demand. Priority allowances of milk and eggs were given to those most in need, including children and expectant mothers.

As shortages increased, long queues became commonplace. It was common for someone to reach the front of a long queue, only to find out that the item they had been waiting for had just run out.

Chocolate and other sweet treats, when they could be obtained, became an important morale booster to many people. Trade routes were hazardous and ingredients sometimes had to change when in short supply.

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Family Activities at IWM this Easter
Daily activities can vary. Please check on arrival to see what’s running.
Story Seekers:
Chocolate Edition
Find out how chocolate helped power the nation and discover the strange ways people satisfied their sweet tooth in times of rationing.

Get hands on, explore our galleries and complete the activity to receive a chocolate reward! 

IWM London and IWM North - daily, 1 to 16 April*
Free entry.

IWM Duxford - daily, 1 to 16 April
Free with general admission. 

*excluding 7 to 10 April at IWM London 
 
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We Were There
Family Days

Hear an array of personal stories, recollections and powerful memories from those who have experienced conflict first-hand.

Meet eyewitnesses of conflict and gain a unique insight into the impact of war on people’s lives.

IWM London - 5 and 11 April
Free entry.

IWM North - 4, 6 and 11 April
Free entry.

IWM Duxford - 5 and 12 April
Free with general admission. 

 
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Find Your Sea Legs
Ahoy shipmates! Take charge of HMS Belfast in this interactive family activity and complete fun tasks around the ship.

Test how steady you’d be on rough seas. Figure out how to feed 950 men with limited rations and what supplies you’ll need along the way.

HMS Belfast - daily, 1 to 16 April
Free with general admission.
 
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Family Hub at IWM North
During the Second World War, a ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign was launched to encourage people to grow food at home.

Learn more about digging for victory and create your own poster inspired by designs from the Second World War.

IWM North - daily, 1 to 9 April
Free entry. 
 
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A bar of Cadbury's ration chocolate in its original wrapping
Not all foods were rationed. Fruit and vegetables were never rationed but were often scarce. The government encouraged people to grow vegetables in their own gardens. Many public parks were also used for this purpose. The scheme became better known as ‘Dig For Victory’.

Certain key commodities were also rationed – petrol in 1939, clothes in June 1941 and soap in February 1942. The end of the war saw additional cuts. Bread, which was never rationed during wartime, was put on the ration in July 1946.

One way to get rationed items without coupons, usually at greatly inflated prices, was on the black market. Shopkeepers sometimes kept special supplies 'behind the counter'.

‘Spivs’ - petty criminals - traded in goods often obtained by dubious means. By March 1941, 2,300 people had been prosecuted and severely penalised for fraud and dishonesty.

Between 1942 and 1946, more than 200 Ministry of Food short ‘Food Flash’ films were shown in British cinemas. The films were a way for the government to help people better understand rationing. 

It was not until the early 1950s that most commodities came ‘off the ration’. The scheme ended completely in 1954, nine years after the end of the war. 
 
 
Family Activities:
IWM Duxford
Daily, 1 to 16 April
Free with general admission. 

Join our Flight Academy, prepare for the big jump with Family Mission: D-Day Edition or discover what these chocolate can teach us about life during the Second World War.

Daily activities can vary. Please check on arrival to see what's running. 
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