Shortages Collection

Save Food Poster / Wwi
Poster depicting a British soldier encouraging those on the home front to save food in response to food shortages due to German U-boat targeting of British merchant ships

Apres la Guerre No. 3 - WWI postcard by George Ranstead
Humorous postcard drawn by amateur soldier artist of the Great War, George Ranstead, who, in a series of illustrations suggesting what life might be like at the end of the war

Blouse made from a silk escape map, 1940s. Creator: Unknown
Blouse made from a silk escape map, 1940s. During World War II many materials were unavailable to the public because of government rationing

Observed of all observers by Alfred Leete
The Chauffeur of a coal-gas-driven car (to a gathering crowd): Wot are you anging around cre for? The Crowd: Please, Mister, we se waiting for the balloon to go up

Wartime cuisine - fish and chips
Wartime rashioning during the Second World War. A plate of steak and veg is a dream, but at least there is still fish and chips to keep the spirits up and the bellies full! Date: circa early 1940s

Some shorages and how they are dealt with 1918
Shortage of skins and hides in Scotland, using trousers for their bagpipes. Shortage of iron hoops for wine casks. Please note

Water shortage and supply: Londons water stores, 1921
Seriously depleted by drought: Londons water stores in 1921 for seven million people, spread over 558 square miles.The Thames estuary is viewed looking east, towards the sea

Pensioners queue outside Greggs Seconds Shop, Westgate Road, 12th July 1974. Pensioners are allowed to buy bread at half price. The goods are imperfectly baked but perfectly edible

WWII - the man who eats grass, Mr J. R. B. Branson
Mr J. R. B. Branson, who advocated a diet of grass to counter food shortages during the Second World War. The Bystander magazine ran a double page spread on him

Advert statement, butter rationing, Crawford's Shortbread
Advertisement and statement on butter rationing from Crawford's Shortbread. Explaining that the best table butter must be kept for the family larder

How Housing Shortage is Being Met 1920
At the end of First World War One almost 80% of Britains rented homes from private landlords. David Lloyd George was concerned by the standards of the housing

Lord Beaverbrook's appeal for aluminium 1940
Lord Beaverbrook the Minister for Aircraft Production appealed for objects wholly or partly made of aluminium for the manufacture of aeroplanes

Lord Beaverbrook the Minister for Aircraft Production appealed for objects wholly or partly made of aluminium for the manufacture of aeroplanes

Rational Gadgets For Your Coupons by William Heath Robinson
Customers are put on scales to determine how much butter they are entitled to, the heavier the person is, the more butter they are given. Date: 1940

The Sugar Line, 1917 (pencil on paper)
3087839 The Sugar Line, 1917 (pencil on paper) by Armington, Frank Milton (1876-1941); Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Canada; eCanadian War Museum; Canadian, out of copyright

The Butter Line, 1917 (pencil on paper)
3087838 The Butter Line, 1917 (pencil on paper) by Armington, Frank Milton (1876-1941); Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Canada; eCanadian War Museum; Canadian, out of copyright

The Bystander - keeps pace with the times
What we may soon see if the present shortage of paper grows even more insistent. Date: 1917

Allotment studies by G. E. Studdy
No. I. - Back to the land and what it fills like! To tackle food shortages, people were given plots to grow their own vegetables, in this cartoon a man is in agonising back pain

Blackout, meal by candlelight, 1949
Once again the victims of an unofficial strike: the long-suffering public. Recalling the inconveniences of the long wartime blackout

Women queue at a fruit and veg stall in London, June 1947 (b / w photo)
STC370043 Women queue at a fruit and veg stall in London, June 1947 (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: from Die ersten Funfzig Jahre des XX)

Theres a long long trail awinding (colour litho)
2775226 Theres a long long trail awinding (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Theres a long long trail awinding. Postcard, early 20th century)

Life under Bolshevik rule in Russia: peasants batering clothes for food in a market, 1919 (litho)
6015361 Life under Bolshevik rule in Russia: peasants batering clothes for food in a market, 1919 (litho) by English School

The Coal Line, 1917 (pencil on paper)
3087841 The Coal Line, 1917 (pencil on paper) by Armington, Frank Milton (1876-1941); Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Canada; eCanadian War Museum; Canadian, out of copyright

Suez Crisis 1956 A billboard outside a petrol station vividly demonstrates the severity of the petrol shortages

London transport recruiting female bus conductors to replace men called up for national service. 1940

Food Queues in London owing to shortages
Food Queues in London owing to shortage of supplies. People waiting to get 2 ounces only Date: 1918

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Pastiche of wartime Britain at a Great Central Railway station

A Mound of Aluminium, July 1940
In response to the appeal for aluminium from Lord Beaverbrook, Minister for Aircraft Production, families hand in their spare pots and pans to aid the war effort. 1940

In the Stretching Sheds of an Ox-Tail Soup Factory. War-Time Economies from William Heath Robinson including an ingenious idea for making the ingredients for oxtail soup go further. Date: 1918

How to start an allotment during WW1
Diagram in The Sphere advising readers how to start work on a raw piece of ground in order to create an allotment. The Food Production Department was keen to get around 500

WE DAREN T WASTE IT by W. Heath Robinson
A variety of ingenious inventions and machines designed to help people cope and keep cool during an August heatwave. Please note

Robert Morrison, 1940
Robert Morrison, Labour MP for Tottenham, at a salvage depot amid a mass of waste-paper being put towards the war effort. Morrison was made Chairman of the inter-departmental committee on salvaging

Ann Todd gives in her appliances for the war effort
Actress Ann Todd photographed handing in her spare household appliances to the local W.V.S. office in Berkshire. In 1940, Lord Beaverbrook, Minister for Aircraft Production

Households Encouraged to Give Aluminium for the War Effort
Woman from the Womens Voluntary Services hangs up pans and kettles from the W.V.S. centre to encourage people to hand in aluminium items to aid the war effort

Wartime Hunting - a day with the suburban hounds (rationing)
Humorous drawing by H. H. Harris commenting on rationing in Britain in 1918 using the metaphor of hunting. Lord Rhondda, who served as Food Controller, is Master of the Hounds

Things We Vow We Will Do, When Peace Breaks out
Cartoon by George Studdy showing a gent purposefully indulging in wasteful behaviour, a welcome relief after years of food control, shortages and rationing. Date: 1918

WW1 - Comment on the food shortage
WW1 - To ensure food supply during shortages, National and local food control committees were established to ensure food distribution across the country

Gas bag omnibus in Edinburgh, WW1
An example of a coal gas powered vehicle in Edinburgh - in this case a bus which holds a voluminous rubber bag for the gas on its roof

Become a subscriber to The Tatler, WW1 advertisement
Advertisement in The Sphere encouraging readers to subscribe to its sister paper, The Tatler, to avoid missing out during wartime

A Scent Evanescent by Wilmot Lunt - petrol shortages, WW1
CHEMIST: " That, madame, is petrol - our dearest and rarest perfume." Cartoon in The Bystander commenting on the extortionate cost of petrol as it became increasingly scarce on the home

New Fashions for 1918 by William Heath Robinson, WW1
New Fashions for 1918 - designed to meet the shortage of tweeds. A series of revealing menswear outfits suggested by Heath Robinson during the First World War. Date: 1918

Romance - 1917 by Bruce Bairnsfather, WW1 cartoon
" Darling, every potato that I have is yours" (Engaged). Cartoon in The Bystander by Captain Bruce Bairnsfather showing a couple locked in an embrace having agreed to get engaged

Graphic front cover - Sir Arthur Yapp
Sir Arthur Yapp (1869-1936), Deputy President of the YMCA and Director of Food Economy during the First World War. Responsible for encouraging the nation towards frugal

Mr Asquiths Wolseley Landaulette with gas container, WW1
Ex-Prime Minister Herbert Asquiths Wolseley Landaulette motor car equipped with the Lyon-Spencer gas container on its roof

Typical menu at a communal kitchen, WW1
A blackboard showing a typical menu at a communal kitchen in 1918. Communal and National Kitchens were established to help combat food shortages during the First World War by catering in bulk

Rationing of Food, February 1918, WW1
Page from The Sphere reporting on the introduction of food rationing of meat and butter in London and Home Counties on 25 February 1918

Food Protest in Hyde Park, WW1
A crowd in Hyde Park, London, protesting about the high price of food and of profiteering during the First World War. Date: 1917

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"From WWI to the present day, they have shaped our world. This Save Food Poster from the era reminds us of the scarcity faced during wartime and the need to conserve resources. The Apres la Guerre No. 3 postcard by George Ranstead captures the aftermath of war, where they were prevalent and rebuilding was necessary. In 1918, people had to cope with various shortages, as depicted in 'Some Shortages and How They Are Dealt With. ' Alfred Leete's iconic illustration 'Observed of all observers' highlights how rationing became a way of life during difficult times. Even beloved dishes like fish and chips were affected by shortages during wartime cuisine. Water shortage was also a concern, as seen in 'London's Water Stores' in 1921. Moving forward, we see satellite images revealing Korea at night, reminding us that even today there are regions facing scarcity. Advertisements like Crawford's Shortbread butter rationing statement demonstrate how businesses adapted to limited supplies. The housing shortage crisis of 1920 showcases innovative solutions employed to meet demand for shelter. Lord Beaverbrook's appeal for aluminium during World War II emphasizes how materials were repurposed for crucial aircraft production. Photographs capture women from the Women's Voluntary Service outside their town hall, symbolizing their contribution towards alleviating shortages through voluntary efforts. Lastly, William Heath Robinson introduces rational gadgets designed to make coupons stretch further during times of scarcity. " Overall, these hints provide glimpses into different periods where they have influenced society and prompted creative responses.