Patches were sewn on the elbows of jumpers, cardigans and jackets to make them last longer. These became quite fashionable and popular. Special clothing such as a bridal gown and bridesmaids dresses would be passed around a family, to be worn again, rather than using up the precious clothes coupons.
The slogan of the time was “Make do and mend!”
Some people defied the law and used the black market. The black market was where you could pick up many foodstuffs and luxuries, normally imported goods. This was against the law as at the time the government was promoting posters to make people dislike the black market; Source (A2 C) shows me this. A young girl from Newport explains how “The government made us all hate the Back Market.”
As food was rationed and ships were needed for the war effort there were many propaganda posters encouraging and promoting home-grown foodstuffs. Source (A2 B) a wartime propaganda poster tells us that potatoes were full of goodness and gave energy. This sources weakness is that it is a propaganda poster and the truth could have been stretched. Also Source (A2 A) promotes home grown potatoes. Both posters would have been effective, as people would have seen them everywhere, from billboards to newspapers.
Source (A4 B) a piece from the Western Mail: February 1940. Also promotes home grown foods. It’s a very personal poster as “YOU” are invited to the meeting! The posters weakness is that it is biased towards the government and could have been exaggerated.
Fines also affected people in South Wales while rationing was in force. If food was fit for human consumption and was thrown away or given to animals, people were taken to court and fined. Source (A4 A) a section from the Western Mail: August 1942. Showing things like this in newspapers was a government scare tactic and I do not doubt that it worked. This source would have been put in newspapers to set and example to others.
Another use of propaganda is Source (A4 C) This encouraged people to keep pigs. Waste food of food unfit for human consumption could be fed to the pigs. Then when fat enough the pigs could be eaten. This would also have been a very effective propaganda poster (even though the poster being a propaganda poster is a weakness) I t is very persuasive and would have been placed on billboards, in newspapers and people would see it when visiting the cinema.
Overall people in South Wales were badly affected by wartime rationing, although not quite as bad as Germany (they had no ration books or ANY variety) People in South Wales could still have a small variety of foods even though it did become quite monotonous. They were unable to buy some essential things and thus resorted to the black market, which again enabled more variety. People were fined for wasting food and propaganda was used extensively to persuade and encourage people to save food and used home grown foodstuffs instead. People didn’t have new clothes and the slogan of the time (“Make do and Mend”) was very adequate.
