Clothes Rationing in Britain: Make Do and Mend | Archive Film Favourites

[Music] we haven't got enough coupons and I've got to have a few for towels and things for the house perhaps we can help you and who may you be your old clothes put away and forgotten this is one of those films that makes me smile it's a newsreel trailer made by the Ministry of information in 1943 and it's all about make do and mend this was a government campaign urging people to repair reuse and reimagine their existing clothes because it wasn't just food that was rationed in the Second World War from June 1941 buying new clothes was rationed to the cinema audiences who would have watched this before the main feature started would probably have groaned inwardly at the sight of the ration books they symbolized sacrifice there was a real scarcity of new clothes because fabric was needed elsewhere the uniforms and the general war effort many in the cinema audience would have identified with a very glum looking family who appear in this film visibly fed up with their limited clothing coupons which just won't buy them enough not to worry those because here come the family's old clothes talking and moving no less to save the day for instance I could make a smart costume for the young lady well if the youngster wants some shorts I don't mind being cut down and will join forces make John a new sweater three boys well folks what are you waiting for a lot of people didn't like the rhetoric of make to amend and they felt quite daunted by it and there is an undercurrent of that running throughout the film I can't help but smile at a blank expression on mother's face as her clothes throw down the gauntlet and try and reassure her that it's really quite easy when you know how you know turned a pair of trousers in your sky tonight never mind it's quite easy to do ask at your Technical Institute we know that make to amend classes and groups did spring up all over the country as people trying to help each other the whole thing is deliberately playful and we'll see that playfulness replicated in many posters and leaflets as well which also promoted makes to amends the government had been genuinely concerned that if the people of Britain had less standards in human slip it might be seen as a sign of the low morale of just giving up and that would have been bad for the war effort and that's what I like about this film there's an acknowledgement that these times are hard on the homefront a lot is being asked to people but it's not election it's a strangely uplifting call to action to encourage ingenuity and creativity to bring some smiles back on faces and I think it encapsulates brilliantly that wartime spirit of pluck all you need to get through this we're told is a bit of imagination and a little help from your friends there's probably a local make do and mend casts where you can learn oh why not get together with your friends and form a make do and mend group then you can all help each other [Music] thanks for watching I hope you enjoyed seeing our archived footage just a reminder please do subscribe to iw Emma's YouTube channel for more archived films and lots more [Music]

Channel: Imperial War Museums

Views: 29,760

Keywords: Imperial, War, Museum, imperial war museum, clothes rationing, rationing, second world war, ww2, wwii, make do and mend, rationing in the second world war, clothes, make your own clothes

Id: f5zpOmzOs98

Length: 3min 48sec (228 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 03 2020