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Archiver > YORKSGEN > 2000-09 > 0969449922


From: "brian legg" <>
Subject: Re: NON GEN- Wartime rations
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2000 12:38:42 +0100
References: <200009181422.KAA42671@edvac.idirect.com>


Hi Margaret - I think one of the major sources of my nutrients came from
sucking Oxo cubes on the way to school. And don't forget, we had school milk (I did
anyway) !.

Brian LEGG in Coventry, UK.
One-man Campaign For Capitalised SURNAMEs.

----- Original Message -----
From: m.taylor <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2000 11:31 AM
Subject: NON GEN- Wartime rations


> Pam's letter brought back many memories. I remember that as kids we were
> *always* famished, and after an illness when the doctor came to the
> house to see me, he told my mother that I had malnutrition, she was
> amazed and angry. As a good mother she had done her very best to feed us
> all as well as she could in those times of shortages and queuing.
> We lived at Withernsea and when we were allowed once more to go on the
> beach, my father and I used to walk along the shore looking for "sea
> coal" and wood. One day we had a big find of oil- covered grapefruit,
> (probably from a destroyed Atlantic convoy ship). Mom washed off the oil
> and we had our first taste of an exotic fruit! Another time we found a
> few (hessian)bags of flour. The outside was caked hard like cement from
> the sea water, but my mother saved that "white' useable flour on the
> inside, for a special occasion.
> During the war instead of regular sweets (candies) which were rationed,
> we used to go to the chemists (drugstore)and buy unrationed Victory V
> lozenges ( used for coughs).
> Oh well we are lucky enough to be around to tell the tales. According to
> studies done since, the people were healthier then than now. Most
> people walked a lot, danced a lot, had no "junk food" to snack on. (In
> fact as a kid I can't recall any "snacks", other than bread and
> dripping). No-one had a lot, and we didn't know we were deprived,
> everyone was!
>
> Margaret Taylor (Toronto)


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