Repro ID: H3362
Title: Ration queue on Walworth Road
Description: During World War II, some goods such as bread, alcohol and tobacco were not rationed in order to keep up morale. As the war went on, even bread was in short supply, and long queues would form outside shops. Rumours would circulate that a certain shop was expecting a supply of butter or meat and immediately women would form a queue outside that shop. Many shops opened for only two or three days a week because of food shortages. As Britain was almost bankrupted by the war, rationing did not end in 1945. Bread had to be rationed in July 1946, and some items remained rationed until the mid-1950s. The photograph shows the queues for rationed bread in July 1946 - something that was never seen during the war.
Creator: 'Illustrated London News'
Date: 1946-07-27
Credit line: Southwark Library collection.
