Living with COVID-19 for many weeks reminds me of living immediately after the Second World War. Living seemed to be a lot simpler then and with fewer luxuries, as is the case now.
When I was growing up in U.K. just after the second world war ended, ration coupons were used to control the sale of many goods, especially meats, dairy products and candy.
Very little was wasted.
If one had purchased meat with a coupon, that meat had to last several days and one made sure that none of that meat was thrown out or otherwise wasted. More meat could not be purchased without a coupon and families had to wait until the following week for more coupons to arrive in the mail. Likewise for many other products.
The butcher could not buy more meat wholesale without the customers’ coupons.
Appliances were also scarce. My parents did not have a fridge, freezer, washing machine, drier or television at that time. But they did have a radio and lots of books.
One of my uncles, who had a grocery store, was the first person in the town to have a freezer and sell frozen goods. Those who purchased frozen goods had to eat the contents within 24 hours as no one else in town had a freezer. That was in 1950.
Also, in that era the only people in town who had a car (or any vehicle) were the business people. Cars were expensive and gas stations as we know them now did not exist.
Vehicle repair shops and garages were the places to buy gas and the gas (called petrol in U.K.) was pumped by hand.
Bicycles were a common means of transportation, and cycling was quite safe then as there were relatively few vehicles on the road.
Not all vehicles in town used gas. English bread companies delivered bread in town every morning (except Sunday) by a battery driven van. The battery was charged overnight, ready for the next morning.
Every Friday, fresh fish was sold from pony and cart; the seller knocked on doors for sales. My mother knew what time to expect him and was ready.
Businesses at that time were open five and half days a week.
All stores including small convenience stores were closed on Sundays. Businesses were only open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. six days a week and closed for lunch daily from 1-2 p.m.
The exception was an afternoon closure for one day, which in “my” town was a Wednesday afternoon. In other towns it might have been a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon.
Air travel in the late ’40s and early ’50s was essentially non-existent for the average person.
When travelling from one town to another there were both bus services and train services, which were reasonably priced. In the late ’50s train services (both for goods and passengers) ceased to exist and the lines removed.
In those days life seemed to centre around the home. People walked or cycled to and from work.
Likewise for shopping.
Most people in town had a garden. They grew flowers and vegetables. My parents had fresh vegetables from June to Christmas. My parents began to dig up “new” potatoes during the last week of June and had fresh brussel sprouts for Christmas.
What has changed?
We spend more time at home. We shop less. Store hours are reduced. We walk more. We travel less. Germs were around then as they are now; remember polio and tuberculosis?
We seemed to have circled back to older times.
Ian McMaster,
St. John’s
