Wartime rationing

Sarnia

My paternal family were under German occupation in the Channel Islands for 5 years. They had rationing with bells on. My Granny made jelly from hedgerow berries and bladder wrack seaweed. A canning machine was hidden from the Germans and Granny and her neighbours took turns each doing this. When it was her turn she hid it, wrapped in an old grey blanket and tucked it well into the woodpile in the corner of her backyard. No sleep for her that night. Being found in possession of something which the Germans had banned was punishable by imprisonment, fines or deportation.
I was 6 when sweets came of the ration. I have made up for that since.

That was interesting. I saw pictures of the German occupation of the Channel Islands. That must've been so terrifying. Bless your family for surviving this nightmare period.

My paternal family were under German occupation in the Channel Islands for 5 years. They had rationing with bells on. My Granny made jelly from hedgerow berries and bladder wrack seaweed. A canning machine was hidden from the Germans and Granny and her neighbours took turns each doing this. When it was her turn she hid it, wrapped in an old grey blanket and tucked it well into the woodpile in the corner of her backyard. No sleep for her that night. Being found in possession of something which the Germans had banned was punishable by imprisonment, fines or deportation.
I was 6 when sweets came of the ration. I have made up for that since.

I remember rationing. I was born in 1943. Going to the sweet shop once a week for my sweet ration. My mother and grandmother producing ration books at the butcher and grocers.

I remember the day clothing came off coupons and my mother and grandmother gave my sister and I the now not reuired ration books to play with.

We were spared the full rigour of living on rations. My mother and grandmother kept chickens and grew vegetables. As well as that my father was posted to India in 1945 and he was allowed to send one parcel home each month.

My dad was soon pushing the limits and posting one parcel a month to each family member, my mother and grandmother, my sister and I and my aunt, away nursing, but based with us.

These parcels were all beautifully sewn up in cotton and contained food; butter sweets, Vienna sausages, tinned salmon, plus other food. he also sent back supply parachutes, army blankets - I still have one - other lovely fabrics. My grandmother was a professional dress maker and my mother also had sewing skills, so my sister and I had underwear made from parachute silg an dressing gowns made from army blankets, plus other dresses.

I remember going to some offices with my father to collect my youngest sister's ration book.

The books were all different colours. My babysister's ration book was beige. I think children's ration books were green.

I don’t remember anything except the last thing that came off in June 1954 a month before I was born.
My brother could remember our aunt donating her sweet ration to him .