Canadian War Rations Coupons, WW2
Sugar, Butter, Tea and Coffee Strictly Rationed during WWII
Mar 28, 2008
“Can you take your coffee with just cream? I’m almost out of my sugar ration.” Guests would not complain; they understood that sugar was in short supply. And so were coffee, tea, butter, meat and many other staple food items during World War Two.
There were several reasons why food was tightly rationed during war-time. Sugar, coffee and tea were strictly limited because they were imported products. The ships that brought the goods were no longer available for food transportation; the merchant ships had been sent overseas to participate in the War and many had been destroyed by enemy submarines, said Wyatt Heritage. Sugar was also required for the manufacture of shells and bombs, doubly limiting its supply. Overseas, the soldiers required a steady, healthy diet to keep them pressing on in horrible conditions, and food was sent to Europe to keep them going. Another problem came with food storage. War production needed tin, and so did canning factories. Canning factories lost out in that tug-of-war, their supply of cans rationed.
Ration Books Mailed
In January 1942, Canada instituted a food rationing program. Gasoline was rationed in April 1942. Applications were filled out and war ration books were mailed to householders with stamps and coupons for specific allotments, plus extra coupons in case other items were added to the restricted list. At first, each person was permitted to buy 12 ounces of sugar a week and a limited amount of coffee and tea. By April, the sugar allotment was reduced to 8 ounces per week. Sharing, trading or selling the coupons was illegal until 1943, but people could save their own allotments for special events. By December of 1942, butter was added to the ration list, with a mere ½ pound per person. The first war ration books had an expiry date of March 31, 1943. Price inflation was not a problem – government set the prices for the rationed goods.
Due to gas rationing, public transportation and car pools became popular. Car pool drivers were permitted extra gasoline to complete their daily driving tasks. Tires could not be bought unless there was proof that driving was an essential activity.
Books With ID Numbers
When the time came for distribution of the second round of ration books, local areas took over the task. Rather than mailing the books out, they were handed out at distribution centres. The first books were issued with identification numbers, and these books had to be shown to receive the next books. The ration book included an application for extra sugar for canning and preserving items like jams and pickles, but the form had to be submitted by April 15th for processing. Rationing of meat began in May 1943 in the amount of two pounds per week per person.
The second war rations coupon book was, noted Wyatt Heritage, “17 pages with sheets of green, pink, orchid, buff and grey paper. Each coupon resembled a stamp and would have a small maple leaf in every corner.” Designs changed with later books.
More Food Staples Rationed
More staples came under the strict rules in time for rations book #3 in December 1943. Molasses, apple and honey butters, maple syrup, canned fruit and evaporated milk were all stringently controlled. (Molasses was used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber.) In 1944, goodies such as cheese, canned blueberries and pie filling were also rationed. As the war-time measures progressed, beer coupons were added to the rations roster, alcohol was scarce and highly-priced. Silk stockings became a rarity since importation was limited, and women resorted to drawing the infamous seam line representing silk stockings on the backs of their legs with make-up pencils, said the City of Waterloo website.
Ration books continued to be used after the end of WWII. Because Europe’s farmlands and factories were in ruins, food, especially meat, was sent from Canada as emergency aid. This essential help extended the rationing program in Canada until the last books were issued in 1946. According to the City of Waterloo, over 11 million ration books were distributed in Canada.
Millions of Canadian men, women and children gave their best to the war effort through the rationing program, learning to make do with less.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
