The list that Jane gave, wouldn't have appeared in the UK in 1949. There just wasn't that kind of stuff available. Most things were rationed during and after the war beginning in 1940, including household linen and baby clothes. Coupons had to be presented and handed over when buying clothing, and the nation donated sufficient clothing coupons for the queen to get her wedding dress even as late as 1947. When coules married, they saved up food rations to make a small plain cake, and put a cardboard cutou of an iced cake over the top of it for the traditional photo of cutting the cake (if they had any photos taken).
If not actually 'on ration', many items were, in fact, rationed because they were in such short supply. In 1941 the "utility" mark was introduced, which was put on very basic clothing and household linen items to show they met a minimum standard. That was all that was available unless you culd find anything illegally available on the "black market". I found a pair of unopened "utility" sheets in my parent's house after my father died in 1992. They were o surprisingly good quality, but then they were designed to last. Sweet rationing was lifted in 1949 but reintroduced four months later because the demand outstripped the supply of sugar, and it wasn't lifted finally until 1953. Rationing only ended completely when the last item, meat, was removed from it in 1954. A readable account of rationing in the UK is on this web site: http://www.homesweethomefront.co.uk/web_pages/hshf_rationing_pg.htm Jean in Poole To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace-chat [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
