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The British set out to increase domestic food production, A key slogan was 'Dig for Victory' and there was an important program launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to promote home gardening. The British people were accustomed to relatively inexpensive food imported from their vast overseas empire. The Ministry encouraged the population to grow their own food. Dig for Victory was basically an education program. A lot of British people knew how to garden, but did not bother. Others had never raised garden vegetables. Thus informative pamphlets explaining how to garden and grow year round were very helpful. Actually this was something that farmers could not do. Growing vegetables is more labor intensive than grain and other crops. And labor is something the farmers did not have because men including farm laborers were being drafted. The public provided the needed labor. And there was a lot of land that could be used. Open spaces everywhere were transformed into allotments. This included parks and iconic places like the lawns outside the Tower of London. Vegetable patches sprung up all over the country. There was also a lot of land in Britain's sprawling suburbs. Many suburbanites gardened, but more flowers than vegetables. Suburbanites had back gardens that could be tuned into vegetable gardens. City dwellers could farm allotments. Villagers in the country side had plenty of land that that could be used to expand production. And schools had playing fields that could be farmed. We see publications like 'Vegetable growing month by month', 'Allotment guide', 'Manure from garden rubbish', 'Grow for winter as well as summer', and many more. There were pamphlets for individual crops such as 'Cabbages and related crops', 'Potatoes', and others. In terms of calories, potatoes were the most productive crop. Britain managed to both incresedthe of wheat needed for bread and potato production. The Ministry produced numerous short films, helping people to grow vegetable. The films were projected before the main feature at the movie theaters. In addition o the growing instructions were cooking tips on how to create tasty dishes with what was available. (carrot, cabbage, and potatoes). Adapting to a much more limited diet without many favorite foods took an effort to get used to, often including unfamiliar foods like American powdered eggs and Spam as well as snoek (we think snake mackerel) was no easy thing. Children grew up without knowing what a banana was. Oranges, chocolate, and jam were a rare treat. The biggest problem, however, making do with less meat and fats. No one went hungry in Britain, but the dies was rather boring. Most people were consuming less meat and fats in an entire week than they had been consuming in an a day. Thus along with vegetable garden, some people kept chickens and rabbits. This all helped reduce imports and increase domestic harvests of key food stuffs such as potatoes, carrots, onions, wheat, and rye. The Dig for Victory campaign played a role in keeping Britain fed during the War. The more food Britain could produce, the less of threat the U-boats posed. In addition to producing vegetables, Dig for Victory freed up much needed space on merchant shipping which could be used for weapons, munitions and raw materials. It needs to be understood that throughout the War, the major constrain on the Allied war effort was shipping. One unexpected impact of the changes in the Brutish diet was that with all those vegetables and less fat, the British people were actually healthier and better fed in terms of nutrition than they were before the War or for that matter today. And Dig for Victory did not end immediately with the War. The United States ended Lend-Lease after VJ Day. And Britain as a result of the War did not have the money needed to import the food needed. In addition, the British were in the position of having to help feed the Germans in their occupation zone.
Britain was a highly industrialized country. lt was not self suffuicuient in food production. Without imports, Brain would starve and be ujnavle to coninue the war. Germaby was in thesame position wjich is why the Royal Navy was tasked with instituting a naval enbargo. As in World Wwar I, the Germans instituted a ciommerce war using U-boats to cut Britains sea lifelines. The most important were the sea lanes to North America. British farmers were only providing about a third of the country's caloric intake. Ministry f afriuculture proganmd managed to inctrese that to nearly 45 percent, primarily by increasing the area under cultivation. This was lrgely accomplished by reducing pasture land and using the land for cereal (moskly) wheat production. The lower meat and dairy production was partially made up by imports. (Muchless shipping wasrequired to imort mratand dairy (essebtially concentrated hugh energy food) than wheat. Argentinas was an impprtant supplier. Britain began the War as the nation most dependent on wheat imports. Farmers increased productiin that aliong with imports, Britain never had to ration bread during the War. Britain also mbnaged to reduce imports reducing non essential food imports. The orimary reduction was animal fodder, but restrucions were placed on sugar, fruit, and nuts. [Collingham, p.90.] .
The British set out to increase domestic food production, A key slogan was 'Dig for Victory' and there was an important program launched by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to promote home gardening. The British people were accustomed to relatively inexpensive food imported from their vast overseas empire. The Ministry encouraged the population to grow their own food. Dig for Victory was basically an education program.
A lot of British people knew how to garden, but did not bother. Others had never raised garden vegetables. Thus informative pamphlets explaining how to garden and grow year round were very helpful. Actually this was something that farmers could not do. Growing vegetables is more labor intensive than grain and other crops. And labor is something the farmers did not have because men including farm laborers were being drafted. The public provided the needed labor. nd most imprttantly it was labor that was not coimmitted to thewar effort like housewives, retirees, and school children. The name tells it ll, digging meaning labor. and that is only one oat of vegetable gardening. .
And there was a lot of land that could be used. Open spaces everywhere were transformed into allotments. This included parks sportsfields, and iconic places like the lawns outside the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and Windsor Castle were converted to gvegetable ardens. Vegetable patches sprung up all over the country. There was also a lot of land in Britain's sprawling suburbs. Many suburbanites gardened, but more flowers than vegetables. Suburbanites had back gardens that could be tuned into vegetable gardens. City dwellers could farm allotments. Villagers in the country side had plenty of land that that could be used to expand production. And schools had playing fields that could be farmed.
We see Ministry publications like 'Vegetable growing month by month', 'Allotment guide', 'Manure from garden rubbish', 'Grow for winter as well as summer', and many more. There were pamphlets for individual crops such as 'Cabbages and related crops', 'Potatoes', and others. The Ministry produced numerous short films, helping people to grow vegetable. The films were projected before the main feature at the movie theaters.
Schools played an imprtant role on the British home front. Several different areas were involved. And one of those was food, a major concern for British officials. The primary purpose of the German effort was to starve Britain out. Britain was so dependentb of imprted food, that cutting off its Atlantic life line to America and Canada would have fiorced Brtain out of the War. The older children at school were a potential labor force which could be mobukizxed at imortabnt times, especially harvest times. And gh evacuatiin of school children to the countryside mean that nmanhy were where the labor was needed. Another important food role was educatioin. Many schools had gardening programs. This not only produced a little needed food, but meant that the children could help more in home gardening projecs and even encourage mom and dad to get with the program and create a home garden. Schools also played a role in ensuring good nutrition. They were a way of ensuting the yiunger children got the food gthat they needed. nd schools began offering lunches, which the British called dinners. The general assessment is that they were not ll tha appeakling, but they were nutritional. Schools lunches cintuinued ti exoand jin he austrity period after the War. They were welciomed by many mums because they were off ration food, lkikev British Restaurants, canteens and other restaurants..
In terms of calories, potatoes were the most productive crop. Britain both increased the quantity of wheat needed for bread and also significantly increase potato production. Actually the Miistry's efforts did not go to plan. The idea was to increase poato production to replace bread consumptio, but this did not happen. THe potato part of this equation succeeded. Prduction incresed a phgemomrnl 87 percent. The British public, continued consuming bread at pre-Wear levels and an oversupply pf potatoes developed. And the diet was so centered on starcvhy foods that many housewives did not awnt all that many more potatoes. Much of the potatoe supply was used to feed pigs, this primarily benefitted the privilidgd class with the means to keep a pig. [Hammond, p. p. 85-86.] Obviously the working class in crowded cities could not. Children were not left out. Cartoon chracters introduced the idea of nutrition to children--Dr. Carrot, the chikdren's best friend Potato Pete, the energy food. [Cunninghm, p. 391.] Dr. Carrot introduced the newly discovered vitimins to children. Actually when RAF night fghters began shooting dowen night-time raiders, the Goncernmnt to hide their secret (on-board Airborne Interception Radar) claimed that an especially keen sighted pilot was responsible.--John 'Cat’s Eyes' Cunningham. [Golley] The children were told that they he ate a lot of carrots. We are not sure the Germans bought theh story, byt mny childre dud, espcially the boys and are their carrots. Onions were a special problem. They would have helped put little flavor in the food. Before the Wr, omons wre ostly imprted from France. Few Brits knew how to grow them. Government efforts to grows onions were fismal failure.
In addition to the growing instructions were cooking tips on how to create tasty dishes with what was available. (carrot, cabbage, onions, and potatoes). Adapting to a much more limited diet without many favorite foods took an effort to get used to, often including unfamiliar foods like American powdered eggs and Spam as well as snoek (we think snake mackerel) was no easy thing. Children grew up without knowing what a banana was. Oranges, chocolate, and jam aswell as cakes and pies became a rare treat. Many husewhy did not attempt the conocotions created. One author puts that up to the Brtin;snon very advebtyursome culinary tradion. Apprently Itlian POWs did a bit better, but hey had Army allocatiins. [Mant, p.39.]
The biggest problem, however, making do with less meat and fats. No one went hungry in Britain, but the diet was rather boring. Most people were consuming less meat and fats in an entire week than they had been consuming in an a day. Thus along with vegetable garden, some people kept chickens and rabbits.
This all helped reduce imports and increase domestic harvests of key food stuffs such as potatoes, carrots, onions, wheat, and rye. The Dig for Victory campaign played a role in keeping Britain fed during the War. The more food Britain could produce, the less of threat the U-boats posed. In addition to producing vegetables, Dig for Victory freed up much needed space on merchant shipping which could be used for weapons, munitions and raw materials. It needs to be understood that throughout the War, the major constrain on the Allied war effort was shipping. So far we have been unablke to find just how much food was poroduced s a result of the Food for Dig for Victory Ptogram.
One unexpected impact of the changes in the British diet was that with all those vegetables and less fat, the British people were actually healthier and better fed in terms of nutrition than they were before the War or for that matter today. One imopact of the Dug fo Vuctory Camoaign ws that the British public was much more knmowledge about anout nutrition and vitamins than before the War.
The Dig for Victory Program did not end immediately with the War. The United States ended Lend-Lease after VJ Day (September 1945). And Britain as a result of the War did not have the money needed to import the food needed. In addition, the British were in the position of having to help feed the Germans in their occupation zone.
Collingham, Lizzie. The Taste of War: World War II and the Battle for Food (Penguin Books: New York, 1962), 634p.
Golley, John. John "Cat's-Eyes" Cunningham: The Aviation Legend (London: Airlife Publishing, 1999).
Hmmond, R.J. Food andAgriculture in Britin 1939-45: Aspets of War Time Control (Stanfird University Press: 1954).
Mant, Joan. All Muck, Nno Medals: Kabd Girks by Land Girls (Book Guild: Lewes, 1994).
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