INTRODUCTION

'Wool is precious, so put to good use every ounce you have.'

Make Do and Mend, Ministry of Information (1943)

'Wool is now being rationed.'

It was on 1 June 1941, which was Whitsun that year, that the announcement was broadcast to the British nation, everyone listening on their wireless. Along with food, clothes were now to be rationed, and all materials with which to make clothes, including knitting wool. Imagine hearing that on the morning news! The day was carefully chosen to make the announcement when all shops were closed (there was no Sunday trading in those days and this was a Bank Holiday) to avoid people rushing out to the shops and panic buying.

It was almost two years into World War II, and every household in Britain had already been issued with a ration book for their food in January 1940, in a national effort to ensure that everyone would get a share, as supplies of everything were beginning to be stretched to their limits. Britain relied heavily on imports, and shipping had to be prioritised for fighting the war, which primarily impacted on food supplies arriving into the country. Goods that were not essential to the war effort were no longer being shipped in at all. This was only the beginning. Rationing was to last for many years after the war ended in 1945, continuing in some areas until 1958.

Our history is immersed in wool, a warming thought in itself! But during the war years, when there was a need for uniforms and warm clothing for the troops, all essential supplies of wool were prioritised for their needs. So, in spite of the nation having been built around a thriving wool trade since the Middle Ages, wartime Britain was now challenged with a shortage of this precious natural commodity. Faced with this situation, the only response the government could give was to enforce rationing of wool to ensure available supplies could be fairly distributed.

Clothing ration books, as issued for 1942-3, with all the coupons for knitting wool used.

From Margarine to Wool

Until clothing ration books were distributed, the extra coupons designated for margarine in the existing food ration books could be used when purchasing clothing and wool for knitting. Coupons were not 'tokens' that you could exchange for goods, but had to be handed in when buying anything on the ration, as a way for quantities to be controlled and shared equally between everyone. You had to be registered with your local shops and suppliers, and hand over the required number of coupons when you paid for the goods, which was an additional barrier for many facing hardship at this time.

A clothing ration book for 1947-8.

Rationing allocated a number of points and coupons to each item of clothing, based on the material and labour costs of manufacture. When the clothing ration books were first distributed, the total number of coupons per adult was 66, and these were to cover the whole year. No swapping, no cheating, no negotiating! (That was the official line, of course.) In 1942, this was reduced to 48 coupons, but prices did not go down in spite of this reduction. With further reductions in between, by September of 1945 the number issued per person per year was just 24, equating to just three coupons -or two skeins of wool - a month. A dress required ten coupons, while enough wool for a short-sleeved jumper knitted in very fine wool would now require your whole month's allocation.

The 1943-4 clothing coupons quiz, itemising and explaining the coupon allocation for rationed clothing and materials, including wool for knitting.

Exact allocation of points and coupons was a rather complex affair, and the Board of Trade issued lists, interestingly called a 'Quiz', set out in a question-and-answer format, with details of what these could obtain (supplies permitting!).

Coupons for Knitting Yarns

The 1943-4 booklet clearly sets out the restrictions and coupon allocation of knitting yarns. The 'standard rate' was one coupon for 2 oz (60 g), which increased to 4 oz (120 g) for yarn measuring less than 100 yards (90m) per ounce. All yarns containing more than 15 per cent wool required coupons. Until this time, most knitting yarn was 100 per cent wool, and the manufacturers were now doing their best to find suitable fibres to mix with the wool to help stretch supplies, and also to make their yarns more affordable with the new coupon restrictions (see Chapter 3).

This pattern by Emu clarifies the regulation in force for the coupon value of wool.

It wasn't only knitters' opportunity to buy their wool that was impacted - the shops and even the manufacturers were controlled and restricted, so the shortages were compounded all the way along the production and supply chain. In response, wool manufacturers turned to existing alternative fibres of cotton and silk, but these too were eventually affected by the obstacles to overseas imports.

The pattern by Emu for a long line jumper complying with the four-coupon restriction

Baldwin and Walker advertisement for their Ladyship wool and Export demands (Needlework magazine 194, Christmas 1948).

Buying Wool in Wartime

At this time, yarn was generally sold in skeins, ready for winding and knitting, and available in 1 oz measures (28.35 g in metric measurements), and for each of these, the specified number of coupons would have to be relinquished as well as payment. If a 1 oz skein of wool at the time was 4d, that was roughly equivalent in today's money to £1.20. Modern 50 g balls of wool are closer, if slightly more, to 2 oz (around 57 g) so the equivalent price would be around £2.40, which is not so very different from current prices for a 50 g ball of mixed-fibre or synthetic yarn today!

For a lady's jumper with short sleeves, you would need five or six skeins, amounting to three or more of those valuable coupons. Long sleeves would of course require more. If you have ever wondered why most knitting patterns of this time are for short sleeves, you need question no further - it was an economic necessity to use less yarn and part with fewer coupons! You would not have squandered all your coupons on buying wool, even if you could afford to pay for it, as you also had to buy all the other clothes you needed - coats, dresses, skirts, blouses, shoes, underwear and nightwear -from those 66 coupons, and later even fewer. When those coupons were gone, they were gone.

Copley's advertisement for their 'Two-point plan' on ration-free wool for knitting for the Forces.

Knitting for the Troops

The only knitting wool not governed by the coupon rationing system was that designated for knitting garments for the Forces in their own colours of Army Green, Navy or Air Force Blue. This still required registration with an officially organied group, and the use of the wool and resulting garment(s) was strictly monitored to ensure it went to its rightful recipients, not just as a means of procuring coupon-free wool. You could obtain these wools from the Knitting Parties affiliated to one of the Service organisations, returning the finished garments (known as 'comforts') back to them for distribution.

The Vogue-Knit Series of publications reprinted patterns from Vogue magazine and Vogue Knitting Books, and No. 18 from the mid-war years most helpfully gives details on the allocation for service knitting:

Coupon-Free wool for Service Knitting

Yes, you can now get 24 ounces of wool per year to knit comforts for your relations and friends in the services. First, you must register at your local branch of any of the following organisations: British Legion, British Legion Women's Section, National Federation of Women's Institutes, Scottish Cooperative Women's Guild, Scottish Women's Rural Institute, Ulster Gift Fund, Women's Co-operative Guild, Women's Guild of the Church of Scotland, Women's Voluntary Services.

You do not have to be a member of any of these bodies. But you must take your clothing card or old ration book when you go along, and you must satisfy the organisation of your good faith - that is, give the regimental number and unit of the person for whom you are going to knit.

24 ounces. not so much, you think. But you can make it go a long way if you buy good wool. Fine wool is as warm as thicker yarns, and it goes further.

Every knitter was expected to 'do their bit' and contribute to knitting comforts for the troops in some way.

Keep Calm and Keep Knitting!

Magazines and major wool manufacturers did their utmost to keep knitters going, encouraging them to save coupons with inventive new designs and even advice on how to manage without buying any new wool at all, if possible. It was a brave decision for yarn manufacturing companies to discourage potential customers from buying from them! Among the many advertisements is one by Lavenda (one of the Lister & Co. brands) for their leaflet 'Coupon Free Knitting' with advice on how to 'conjure up brand new woollies from old ones'.

Vogue's 21st Knitting Book, frustratingly not dated, makes much less mention of war, but can still be dated as pre-1945 by a smaller advertisement for its own Vogue Book of Service Woollies, referring to the...