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Make Do and Mend message for 21st century
MAKE Do and Mend is as relevant today as in the Second World War when the phrase was coined.
Back then almost all household goods, food, fuel and clothes were in short supply and the nation was urged to be more creative and resourceful with what little it had.
The Government even issued a series of advice leaflets and posters to highlight ways of tackling shortages and rationing.
In 1943 the Ministry of Information's Make Do and Mend pamphlet had a wealth of ideas on repairing and updating clothes, as well as warning of the "moth menace".
Now, as budgets are constrained by the recession and global warming becomes more apparent those and other wartime tips are surprisingly relevant to 21st century Britain.
The Imperial War Museum has even reprinted several wartime posters and books (www.iwmshop.org.uk) and demand for them is growing. The best seller is the Keep Calm and Carry On poster produced by the Ministry of Information in 1939.
It helped enhance the feeling of stoicism then, but is speaking to a new generation suffering from stress and anxiety in a fast- paced world enduring an economic crisis, job uncertainty and environmental problems.
Walk Short Distances issued by the Ministries of War, Transport, and Labour encouraged people to travel on foot rather than public transport helping free the already overstretched transport system for the essential war effort.
It's still good advice as walking is good exercise and is an antidote to our unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle.
The Save Fuel slogan used in 1942 until the end of the war, urged families to reduce consumption and set themselves a target based on the size of their house. Householders had to read their own gas and electricity meters, displaying the results, to ensure this wasn't exceeded. As part of the Fuel Saving Scheme people were encouraged to
paint a line round their bath to see they used only five inches of water.
Today fuel is not needed for a war effort, but energy efficiency saves money, conserves resources and reduces carbon emissions.
Don't Waste Paper was the Ministry of Supply's battle cry encouraging recycling of waste paper, bones, string, rubber and cardboard. Streets boasted salvage bins and monitors were appointed to check waste was ready for collection.
That has been resurrected and rechristened "recycling", helping the planet and saving rubbish from being dumped in landfill.
The Ministry of Agriculture launched Dig for Victory in 1939 to combat food shortages in Britain by promoting the planting of allotments in gardens and on public land. From 815,000 allotments in 1939 the number rose to 1,400,000 by 1943. Vast areas of public land, including Kensington Gardens and the Tower of London's moat were converted into allotments and nearly a million tonnes of vegetables were grown in the peak years of production.
Although allotments have been lost to development, growing your own is now the height of fashion.
Wartime families were also told to "Holiday at Home" and most had little choice. The recession has forced us to do the same and we've renamed it the "Staycation".
The Ministry of Food was the first organisation in the world to give advice on healthy eating. The Eat Green for Health campaign was a success and despite food shortages, the 1940s diet of fresh vegetables and reduced meat, sugar and fat led to good nutritional standards by the end of the war.
Today it has been rebranded Five a Day, although with obesity levels on the rise, it's clearly a battle we are losing.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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