SALVAGE
- Recycling, 1940's style
|
PICTURE:
Officially encouraged by such characters as 'Superintendent Salvage' and 'Detective
Inspector Waste', Children became willing helpers in the salvage
drive.
National Salvage Drives
were an important feature of the wartime years.
The patriotic housewife was
told to put her Salvage into four separate containers, consisting of;
TINS and
METAL (earmarked
for aircraft and tanks)
BOILED
BONES (to be used
to make glue for aircraft or glycerine for explosives)
KITCHEN
WASTE (for feeding
pigs)
PAPER
(for recycling)
and
RAGS
(if indeed there were any to collect - often the housewife's reply would
be "we're wearing 'em!").
Residents were also asked
to donate scrap metal. Everything from old razor blades to iron
garden railings were handed over.
|
A
network of collection depots were created to house the items gathered.
Residents would often be reminded that
"Every
scrap of food stuff saved is a blow to Hitler's U-Boats which are out to starve
us.
Here
is your chance to beat the enemy in your own kitchen. Put your reply to
Hitler's threat
in
the waste food bin"
SALVAGE
FOR AIRCRAFT/SAUCEPANS FOR SPITFIRES
The Minister of Aircraft
production Lord Beaverbrook encouraged citizens to hand over their aluminium
pots and pans to build aircraft - A war on waste was declared.
PICTURE:
Boys helping to do their bit for aircraft production
With this drive for the salvaging
of household goods, many songs designed to keep up morale, were written - one
such salvage song went;
“My
saucepans have all been surrendered
the
teapot is gone from the hob
the
colander's leaving the cabbage
for
a very much different job.
So
now, when I hear the wireless
of
Hurricanes showing their mettle
I
see in a vision before me
a
Dornier chased by my kettle".
© hshf - Page last updated 02 July 2006
