I pottered onto an odd little web page, and was surprised that we haven't really got a 'Dig for Victory' dedicated thread. Assorted scattered stuff on recipes etc., and other references to Carrot on a stick, but nothing all that solid on the DfV campaign. So, particularly in the light of my other half's massive Allotment fixation - I thought I'd start one. Who knew the humble carrot was so central to beating Adolf: Carrots History - The Role of the Carrot in World War TwoThis page takes an in depth look of the role of carrots in World War Two, which revived their popularity.
As ever, some great shots on IWM collections: Imperial War Museum Collections Online Database If these blokes don't know their Onions then... DIG FOR VICTORY: LIFE ON A WARTIME ALLOTMENT, ACTON, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND, 1940 The number of allotments in England and Wales rose from just over 800,000 in 1939 to nearly 1.5 million in 1945. The 'Dig for Victory' campaign began life as a government scheme under the heading 'Grow More Food Campaign', which was formed of a collection of leaflets called 'Growmore Bulletins'. These bulletins were produced by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society, and aimed to advise gardeners on vegetable growing. The name officially changed to 'Dig For Victory' in February 1941, although the term had been in use since 1940, after it was first mentioned in a newspaper. (My bold - and I assume that figure for allotments was just the tip of the iceberg, not including private gardens and larger/stately houses increasing production) DIG FOR VICTORY: WORKING ON AN ALLOTMENT IN KENSINGTON GARDENS, LONDON, 1942 A woman waters the vegetables on her allotment in Kensington Gardens as a Westminster Civil Defence Warden (possibly her husband), carries a bucket towards her. In the background, the Albert Memorial can be clearly seen.
The Second World War Once again Britain was blockaded and food shortages the norm. The pressure was greater than that of the First World War and even public parks were pressed into use for food production. The famous 'Dig for Victory' campaign exhorted and educated the public to produce their own food and save shipping needed for war materials. Food rationing kept the demand for allotments and home grown foods high until the end of the war although rationing continued until 1954. Allotment and home food production is highly productive in terms of land use and during the war allotments were estimated to contribute some 1.3 million tonnes from 1.4 million plots. Agricultural production generally is more efficient in terms of labour but not in terms of land usage. Allotment History, A Brief History of Allotments in the UK
Ministry of Agriculture Dig For Victory Leaflet No. 1 Dig For Victory WWII Allotment Garden Plan - Grow Vegetables Year Round
The Ministry of Agriculture launched one month on from the outbreak of the Second World War, one of the most memorable slogans of the whole conflict - 'Dig for Victory'. Home Sweet Home Front - DIG FOR VICTORY
Adam, Nice one. The Dig for Victory campaign certainly helped the Home Front and is little written about compared to other aspects of the War. Regards Tom
Seems Dig for Victory is still relevant today. Interesting thread, look forward to seeing it grow seeing it grow, geddit?
great to have a teacher like this! Digging for Victory at Elburton Primary School I wonder if Mr Griggs is a member here... Ministry of Agriculture Dig For Victory Leaflet No. 1 Dig For Victory WWII Allotment Garden Plan - Grow Vegetables Year Round That's fab isn't it - this was not a half-arsed effort. Great MoA links down the left too. Showed it to the missus, and she'd already read it all as part of her current vegetablist research. Not often I can say that about an ostensibly WW2 website. The phrase itself has indeed entered our culture hasn't it, certainly in the UK. Pick up a spade, and some passing wag will inevitably ask 'Digging for Victory eh?'.
Here's one that I pinched earlier from Getty Images. Whilst not exactly relating to digging, it does show the use of public spaces for food production. I can't somehow imagine the modern Metropolitan Police displaying a sign like that.
VP - my father always grew our own during the war and he gratuated to keeping two pigs - half of one he could keep - the other 1.5 went to the ministry - mother had a problem with that as she sent us to call him for dinner -"he's the one with the hat on " she always said - I have had an 20' x 20' allotment here in our village for the past six years but now two younger neighbours look after it and I get 10% of the harvest but signs of the times as the area has expanded from 30 to 60 plots and each plot "grows a row" for the deprived etc..all helps the community and the harvested crops can be sold at the local Farmer's market each week in the late summer. Cheers
We lived near Wrexham, North Wales, during the war and would have had a hard time eating if we didn't have a garden. Dad also had chickens which kept us supplied with eggs. I remember the dig for victory campaign well.
he gratuated to keeping two pigs - half of one he could keep - the other 1.5 went to the ministry - mother had a problem with that as she sent us to call him for dinner -"he's the one with the hat on " she always said - I'd just been reading about larger 'Pig Clubs' during the War: eg: BBC - WW2 People's War - "Pig Clubs", Supplementing Meat Rations Can you remember if the ministry had any sort of programme to supply pigs in the first place, Tom? Or if they paid for the meat at the end? Time for a bit of a Google for WW2 Livestock I suspect. The IWM has some good images under 'Pig'. Including one from the RN's Model farm at Chatham, with some Matelots sorting the pigs. Uncat Record I know what a Model farm is/was, but can't immediately find more on specifically WW2 efforts yet - seems possible there were some set up as educational centres?
The Yank Version; 'Victory Gardening' - I'd never really directly associated the WW2 US with this kind of state project before. Perhaps foolishly thinking of it as a phenomenon of The UK's island status. The American Victory Garden, Past & Present - a knol by Pamela Price I see Eleanor Roosevelt (well, maybe not her personally) planted a Victory garden on the Whitehouse's front lawn. (No idea if this shot is part of that? But the best I could find) Public info film from the US (beware! Much serious talk of vegetables, and almost no military footage) : Victory Gardens : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive Might have to see what other combatant nation's campaigns were like.
A couple of pig related photos from Peter Haining's book The Day War Broke Out on pages 88 & 89. Keep a Pig Another one of the Hyde Park Police Piggery
