A Blog From 1914: Lord Devonport's Rationing

This week, André Deutsch are pushing the boundaries of time as a linear concept, and bringing you all what might just be the world's first blogs direct from 1914. Back then, of course, 'Blogger' was just the name of the family butcher down the street, and the stories we'd type up today we written down in an ancient paper-format referred to as a 'diary'. Terry Charman's new book 'The First World War on the Home Front', produced in association with the Imperial War Museums (and coinciding with the re-opening of their magnificent London galleries), is filled with the stories of Britons (and, indeed, Britain) during the Great War.

Over the next few days we'll be posting excerpts from the diary of Charles Balston, a 61 year-old retired civil servant from Dulwich who features prominently in the new book. Today we explore rationing with him.

"[Food Controller Lord Devonport] started by putting the country on rations and on its honour not to exceed them. Sugar, potatoes, bread & meet were rationed. In the case of bread, no loaves under 12 hours could be sold by bakers and the flour was mixed with husks. We were enjoined to eat less of it and to help us in doing so the price of bread as increased to a shilling a quartern loaf. The manufacture and sale of pastry was also restricted, lest we should adopt Queen Marie Antoinette's suggestion to substitute cakes for bread.

The sale of paste for putting up wallpaper and of starch for stiffening linen was prohibited. Racing was restricted to reduce the consumption of oats. [These restrictions] had an inevitable effect on the health of the nation, especially as the quality of the standard flour issued by millers varied and some bakers were not so skilful or scrupulous as others in making palatable bread and this was shewn in the loss of fat and reduction in weight and also in skin-troubles and ill health.

Charles Balston is one of dozens of everyday Britons whose stories come together to form a picture of life in Britain throughout World War One in Terry Charman's 'The First World War on the Home Front'. You can buy a copy here, and don't forget to check back tomorrow for more of Charles' war experiences!