The Spade as Mighty as the Sword: The Story of the Dig for Victory Campaign

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Synopsis
The little-known history of the “Garden Front”—Britain’s wildly successful vegetable-growing campaign during WWII: “A fascinating story.” —Northern EchoAfter food rationing was introduced in 1940, and German U-boats began threatening merchant shipping bringing in essential foodstuffs, the Ministry of Agriculture decided something had to be done to make the kitchens of Britain more self-sufficient.The result was an amazingly effective campaign—Dig for Victory—encouraging every man and woman to turn their garden, or even the grass verge in their street, over to cultivating vegetables. By 1942 half the population were taking part, and even the Royal Family had sacrificed their rose beds for growing onions.Now, Daniel Smith tells the full story of this remarkable wartime episode when spades, forks, and bean canes became weapons the ordinary citizen could take up against the enemy. It had tangible benefits for the war effort in that shipping could be reallocated for munitions instead of food imports, as well as for the health of the nation in encouraging a diet of fresh fruit and veg. The campaign also created unexpected celebrities like C.H. Middleton, whose wartime BBC radio talks on gardening reached a vast audience, and even sowed the seeds for the modern allotment movement.Ultimately it is a war story without fighting or killing, one that shows how even The Little Man with the Spade, in the words of the Minister for Agriculture at the time, did his bit for Victory.“Engaging.” —The Sunday Times“An inspirational account.” —Lancashire Evening Post
Copyright:
2011

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
256 Pages
ISBN-13:
9781781311295
Related ISBNs:
9781781310427
Publisher:
Quarto Publishing Group USA
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Daniel Smith
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Military, Nonfiction, Home and Garden, Technology, Communication, Politics and Government
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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