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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by a volunteer from Northumberland on behalf of Albert Henry (Harry) Thompson. Mr. Thompson fully understands the site’s terms and conditions, and the story has been added to the site with his permission.

The idea of rationing was that everyone received the same quantity of basic food provisions on which to live and survive. However, in the meat trade such an equitable approach did not always translate to those whose livelihoods depended on fulfilling the demands of the general public. The majority of butchers had a truly tough time sharing out rations that, in monetary terms, varied between £0-0-6d (six old pence, two and a half new pence) and £0-2-0 (two shillings, or ten new pence) per person per week during the thirteen years of rationing (1940 — 1953). Today, in terms of spending power £0-0-6d equates to marginally less than seventy pence (£0.70).

When meat rationing was introduced early in the War, every butcher was given the choice of being designated a “Ration Meat” or a “Manufacturing” butcher. The latter, often the Pork Butchers of pre-War times, were given an allowance, to enable them to manufacture sausages, pies, and a whole range of other products usually associated with that particular trade. As things turned out, the additional allowance was more than sufficient and surplus meat supplied to “Manufacturing” butchers was sold, very quietly, to “Ration Meat” butchers who were only too pleased to receive it, for it enabled them to sell that little bit more thereby making it that little bit easier for their businesses to survive.

Of course, the practice of selling on surplus meat supplies was strictly illegal. Perhaps, it would have been better if each and every pre-War butcher had been treat the same and given a small additional allowance for manufacturing. The basic ration could have been increased slightly, which might have benefited a far larger proportion of the population, in particular butchery businesses within the meat trade.

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