Name/TitleLeaflet

About this objectLeaflet issued as part of the 'Dig for Victory' campaign in the second world war, by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. This is 'Dig for Victory' leaflet No. 2. The leaflet has an illustration at the top centre which shows a fist on a garden spade. The vegetables featured in this leaflet are onions, leeks, shallots and garlic, with most space devoted to onions.



Stewart Murphy, Research volunteer:
These leaflets are from the Dig for Victory campaign, a propaganda campaign which was designed to increase the availability of food while also keeping civilian morale high. They contain instructions and advice to help members of the public adopt animal husbandry and farming, to supplement rationed foodstuffs.

This collection of leaflets was discovered in a tin in the donor’s father's shed, but probably belonged to the donor’s grandfather. The owner of the leaflets grew vegetables during the war and probably also had an allotment. The general wear and tear on these leaflets indicates that they were handled with some frequency. Marks have been made in pencil along the side of an allotment plan, perhaps indicating which vegetables he had decided to grow that year.

Large amounts of land were turned over to cultivation, but growing vegetables at home could be difficult. Mistakes could lead to crop failure, as could inclement weather. He, like many others, may have used these leaflets as reference material throughout the war and in later life. These particular leaflets were used in Ipswich, but the campaign had both a national and a global reach. It is likely there were also sentimental reasons to keep them, as mementos of the war.

Medium and MaterialsPaper
print

Inscription and MarksDig for Victory No. 2

MeasurementsLength: 190 mm
Breadth: 127 mm

Object numberSTMEA:1991-21.1

Copyright LicenceAttribution - Non-commercial (cc)