Post war rationing

[Borisamber]

I believe "Rationing" ended in 1954, but what was the last commodity to be rationed in the UK?

[Quizmonster]

Bread. Click here and - once on the new web-page - click on the heading "The End of Rationing - 1954 Television News Item".

[woofgang]

bit puzzled, that clip is about the end of meat rationing??

[Quizmonster]

You're not as puzzled as I am, W! Having found the site and heard the newsreel, I haven't the faintest idea why I wrote 'bread'. The only explanation, having actually lived through these days, is that I believed - ie "remembered" in inverted commas - it was bread before I set out to find a supporting website. My apologies, Boris!

[scubadiver]

I agree with Quizmonster.

Bread has the distinction of not being retaioned during the war, but only afterwards and was the last food to be removed form rationing.

[kev100]

I honestly cannot answer this question, however I do remember being a child of six in 1954 and being sent a few doors up to the bakers to buy a loaf of bread and having to take the ration book to get it stamped.

I then used to linger on my way home and nibble all the crusts off the edges of this still warm freshly baked bread - it was heavenly.

[nfn]

i thought it was petrol

[Murielmci]

Bacon & meat were last to go!  And 1954 is the correct year. 

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/war/rationing.htm for more info

[Peter Pedant]

Petrol was re-rationed if I can make up a word in 1956 and also plans to do it and ration books circulated in 1973 - I am surprised more Abers havent remembered that.

[brian j john]

your right peter pedant ration books were distributed but the rationing never came about , my mother has still got my late fathers ration book

[nfn]

Thanks PP, I'm glad I was almost right.

[puzzled54]

At a pub quiz I went to, the answer was given as sweets.

[silly moo]

I was born in May 1954 and I NEVER had a ration book. Did babies not count as far as rationing went?
Interested to know when a child needed their own ration book.

[rooftrouser]

Moo, I was also born in May '54 but I was under the impression that for a few weeks I did have a ration book (or rather my parents had one on my behalf). I thought it related to our orange juice allowance and possibly the dreaded cod liver oil. I can find no support for this notion however. I believe that there is some recent research suggesting that our good diet at that time contributed to the fact that we were such bright, well-behaved children.. ;-)

[Peter Pedant]

My parents employed people in the village to make up baby clothes from second hand adult cloth.

And in hospitals......you collected up the ration tickets in one week and got food on the number of tickets for the next week, and yes if the Hospital was empty one week and full the next, they went short......