We’re open Monday to Friday from 10am-4:30pm and EVERY Saturday from 12pm-4pm. Free admission, no booking required.

Blog

/

Sweet Rationing

Blog

Sweet Rationing

#DidYouKnow? That on 26th July in 1942 sweets were rationed!

The initial allowance was 8 oz per person for a 4 week period… that’s only 2 oz per week!


Before sweets were rationed, they were in short supply. Shopkeepers discovered that this increased demand for them, with stock selling out very quickly often through word of mouth, leaving empty shelves and queues of disappointed shoppers.

Rationing of sweets applied to all chocolate and sugar confectionary, including chewing gum and pastilles sold by chemists. Products sold in packets such as bars and tubes were given a point value according to their price. The ration varied during the war according to supply and production and was temporarily increased to 16 oz. the following month.

Puddings and Sweets Leaflet
Ministry of Food War Cookery Leaflet on Puddings and Sweets

Homemade sweets were occasionally made with golden syrup, saccharine, condensed milk and honey eking out the sugar ration. Honey toffee and honey twists were popular. Jellies, jams and sometimes the scum from jam-making went into improvised sweets, as well as oatmeal, cereals, grated carrots and grated raw beetroot for colour.

Buying and eating sweets is a popular childhood memory in our Oral History Collection. Favourite wartime sweets mentioned by our interviewees include Billiard Balls, Fry’s Peppermint Creams, Dolly Mixtures, Conversation Lozenges, Aniseed Balls, Liquorice Allsorts, Ceilí Suckers and Brandy Balls.

Leaflet on Puddings and Sweets
Ministry of Food War Cookery Leaflet on Puddings and Sweets

Retailers were encouraged to sell sweets manufactured locally to reduce transportation and fuel consumption. Eleanor McFadzean remembered that it was impossible to get Mars bars here in NI, but thankfully her uncle who served in the RAF in the South of England would bring them home where they would be cut into slices and enjoyed by the whole family.

Ena Hanna remembered children gathering at the front of the church hall in Ballygowan to fill their pockets with sweets thrown out of the train windows by American servicemen travelling to Belfast.

What are your favourite sweets and could you make 2 oz (57g) last you for a week? If you, a friend or family member have wartime memories please do get in touch with us, we would love to add your story to our growing collection. Read more about our Oral History Project: https://www.niwarmemorial.org/collections/oral-history-collection.

You May Also Like

Card image cap
Biography: Brigadier General Leroy P Collins
Guest author Clive Moore looks at the role and impact of Brigadier General Leroy P Collins (pictured in his Officers Blue Dress uniform in 1941) during the fourteen months he spent in Northern Ireland over two separate postings: a longer period than any other commanding officer, or possibly any other person in the United States military that served in Northern Ireland.
Card image cap
Wartime Bomb Disposal
Author Chris Ranstead writes on the dangers posed by unexploded bombs known as UXBs and the men of 27 Bomb Disposal Company that made them safe long after the Belfast Blitz in 1941.
Card image cap
Polish Squadrons in Northern Ireland Part 1: No. 315 (City of Deblin) Polish Fighter Squadron
Its common knowledge that No. 315 and No. 303 (Polish) Squadrons were based at RAF Ballyhalbert, County Down during the Second World War but what was their role here?
Card image cap
Polish Squadrons in Northern Ireland Part 2: No. 303 (Kosciuszko) Polish Fighter Squadron
Its common knowledge that No. 315 and No. 303 (Polish) Squadrons were based at RAF Ballyhalbert, County Down during the Second World War but what was their role here?
Card image cap
The Epic of the Empire Patrol
On 29 September 1945, the SS Empire Patrol caught fire shortly after leaving Port Said. On board were hundreds of Greek refugees who were returning home to Castellorizo. Within the NIWM collection is an eyewtness account from Ordinary Seaman Stanley Scott of their rescue by the escort carrier, HMS Trouncer.
Card image cap
The US 'Technicians who won't talk'
American forces officially arrived in Northern Ireland on 26 January 1942 with PFC Milburn Henke being selected to be the 'first' to walk down the gangplank. However, hundreds of American technicians had already spent much of 1941 in Northern Ireland, well before the US entry into the war, building US Naval Operating Base Londonderry and a seaplane base at Lough Erne. Discover more about their time in Northern Ireland here:
Card image cap
Queer Life during the Second World War
To mark LGBT+ History Month, NIWM Outreach Officer, Michael Fryer, explores queer life during the Second World War. Please note that this article contains sexual references and may be inappropriate for younger readers.
Card image cap
‘As welcome as the Germans in Norway’: Irish Nationalism and the American presence in Northern Ireland
Dr Simon Topping, author of 'Northern Ireland, the United States and the Second World War' provides an overview of how the leaders of Irish Nationalism regarded the arrival of thousands of American soldiers in Northern Ireland in 1942.
Card image cap
Clothing Rationing
The Board of Trade introduced the immediate rationing of clothing and footwear on 1st June 1941. Read on to find out more.
Card image cap
The Last Man’s Club of Battery B
As well as being the first US division to land in Europe during the Second World War, the 34th 'Red Bull' Infantry Division also fired the first American artillery at German forces. This shell was fired by B Battery, 175th Field Artillery Battalion at Medjez-El-Bab, Tunisia, on 19 November, 1942. Although B Battery of the 175th was first to fire in combat, the very first American artillery fire in the European Theatre was delivered by B Battery of the 151st Field Artillery Battalion whilst based in Northern Ireland during 1942. This is the story of how a group of men became bonded for the rest of their lives by a spent shell casing and a bottle of good Irish whiskey.
Card image cap
Coastal Crusts and Stop Lines
In Coastal Crusts and Stop Lines, Dr James O'Neill highlights the anti-invasion defences of Northern Ireland during the Second World War. Pictured is a coastal pillbox emerging from the sands at Magilligan Strand (Co. Londonderry). The dune system swallowed it up again soon after this photo was taken.
Card image cap
Royal Air Force Marine Craft
Much has been written about Northern Ireland’s role in helping to bring about the Allied victory in the Second World War. One aspect however has been overlooked and does not get the attention it deserves - the Royal Air Force Marine Service. In this article, Guy Warner shines a light on its role as a vital enabler not only with regard to the Battle of the Atlantic but also Air Sea Rescue.
Card image cap
Aviation Archaeology in Ulster - A Personal Overview
Tens of thousands of aircrew flew training and operational sorties from air bases in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. Sadly, many aircraft and their crews were lost to accidents and mechanical failures. Typically the airframes were recovered, but where that was not possible the wreckage remained buried. Aviation expert Jonny McNee introduces us to his efforts to recover four of these lost aircraft.
Card image cap
Still Over Here Part 1: The archaeology of the United States military in Northern Ireland, 1941-45
'Over There' was a patriotic song about GIs coming to Europe to aid the allied cause. 'Still Over Here' looks at the physical remains of the structures left behind by the hundreds of thousands of US personnel who passed through Northern Ireland during the Second World War. In Part 1 we look at the traces of the US Navy, Army and the structures that remain hidden in the landscape.
Card image cap
Still Over Here Part 2: The archaeology of the United States military in Northern Ireland, 1941-45 - The United States Army Airforce
In Part 2 of 'Still Over Here', Dr James O'Neill examines the remains of the largest remaining sites relating to the US presence in Northern Ireland during the Second World War: the USAAF airfields. As the conflict escalated and losses mounted, six airfields were handed over to the USAAF, training crews and modifying aircraft for the battles in the air over Europe. With each airfield covering hundreds of acres, they are often hidden in plain sight, but many features remain to tell their story.
Card image cap
The War for Industrial Production
In 'The War for Industrial Production', Dr Christopher Loughlin takes a look at industrial relations in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. Often overlooked in official accounts of the conflict, Dr Loughlin explores how organised labour surged during the war years, and how relations between employers were often fractious, leading to industrial disputes and strikes.
Card image cap
Diamonds in the Emerald Isle; The 5th Infantry Division in Northern Ireland
Often overlooked for more famous military formations like the 82nd Airborne and 1st Armored Division, the 5th Infantry Division was one of four American infantry divisions stationed in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. Reactivated in October 1939, the division spent nine months intensively training in the north before setting sail for battlefields in Europe.
Card image cap
Love In War
To mark #ValentinesDay 2024, we're sharing a story from our new blog series #LoveInWar; a collection of blog posts highlighting love stories from our Oral History Collection.
Card image cap
Field Hospital Training for U.S Medical Battalions in Northern Ireland
Approximately 300,000 US service personnel passed through Northern Ireland during the Second World War. Our guest blogger, Dave Hickman from Johnston, Iowa, tells us the story of his father’s time in Northern Ireland as part of the 109th Medical Battalion (34th Infantry Division) that landed in Belfast in March 1942.

Subscribe To Our Mailing List For Updates

© NI War Memorial 2024

Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Cookies Policy Accessibility External Complaints Policy
Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube

The Council of the Northern Ireland War Memorial (Incorporated) is a registered charity in Northern Ireland (NIC 103635) and registered as a company limited by guarantee (NI 002888).

Website by Pale Blue Dot