Australian WWII Rations

[Subdeacon Joe]

From the FB group The Quiet Australian 

 

So you think things are difficult -do you? Spare a thought for the greatest generation who prevailed through WW2 to give you the comforts of life you enjoy today. Please get things in perspective!

 

[Capt. James H. Callahan]

Eggs and onions must really have been skeerce!

JHC

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

 ..... well, ..... I'm glad that's over   

 

 

... we're metric now, most of those numbers are higher these days .......   

[Sixgun Sheridan]

If you were an Aussie I guess you were supposed to go into the shed and catch you some Huntsman spiders if you needed extra protein.

[Sedalia Dave]

What does the "1/1d worth of meat" mean?

[Alpo]

I believe whoever made up that sign needs to go back to history class.

 

The ration included 1/1d of meat. That is one shilling and one pence, or 13 pence. Then it gives the prices of meat. Lamb is 9p a pound and beef is 11p.

 

P? There was no P. There was a £ and a S and a d, but no p. Now there's a p, since they did away with real British money and went to 100 New pence to the pound. But back during the war? Nu uhh.

[Subdeacon Joe]

1 hour ago, Sedalia Dave said:

What does the "1/1d worth of meat" mean?

 

 

One shilling/penny.  

[Subdeacon Joe]

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

I believe whoever made up that sign needs to go back to history class.

 

The ration included 1/1d of meat. That is one shilling and one pence, or 13 pence. Then it gives the prices of meat. Lamb is 9p a pound and beef is 11p.

 

P? There was no P. There was a £ and a S and a d, but no p. Now there's a p, since they did away with real British money and went to 100 New pence to the pound. But back during the war? Nu uhh.

 

 

I think that photo is contemporary to the time.  

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

My mother tells the story of buying some meat during the war. She had enough ration coupons to make the purchase, but the butcher was making customers buy blood sausage as a condition for selling them meat. Guess that’s one way to unload your overstock. 

[Three Foot Johnson]

A quick read on Google, and I'm thinking the p and d might both have meant the same thing in Australia back then, but used in different context. Like we might use penny and cent today. 

 

"How much change do you have?"

"Four pennies, a dime, and two quarters.", rather than "Four cents, ten cents, and two twenty five cents.", but something that is $1.49 would be "One dollar and forty nine cents", not "One dollar and forty nine pennies" or "One hundred and forty nine pennies".

[Alpo]

2 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

I think that photo is contemporary to the time.  

I don't think so. I've seen a lot of color pictures from World War II time frame, and the color in color film back then was a lot different from what it is now.

 

Also I believe in the Commonwealth they ate bully beef, not corned beef. Same thing, just a different name.