Sadly we have had to re-think our Emergency Shop display for 2024. Unfortunately so many people felt the need to touch, manhandle, and quite honestly destroy many of the exhibits (despite signs asking not to touch) that we decided to redesign the trailer and convert it to an emergency shop, where most of the exhibits are out of reach. Very many of these exhibits take hours of research and skill to painstakingly reproduce packaging and signs and it is sad that we have had to do this.
However, the new display is wonderful and we look forward to showing it off this year.
This was our new display for 2023. It portrayed an Emergency shop, which was opened up by the Women’s Voluntary Service and Ministry of Food after air raids and sold mostly off-ration foods and emergency items. Our shop is in a building which has bomb damage (including the charred remains of net curtains!). Stocked with all sorts of tin food items, things made by WVS and things that would have been useful after a bombing, damaged tins and a few fresh vegetables. We have a 1940s till and shop scales to add to the feel of the display.
All items are priced as in 1941, in pounds, shillings and pence. We have worked out a conversion rate to modern day prices with help from the Bank of England inflation calculator.
Please click on the link below:
1941 was a very interesting time during the war for rationing, the start of lease lend items coming in from the USA and before strict points ration system came in at the end of 1941.
Out of interest the following are photos of the old display:
More information and photos will be posted as soon as they are available.