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Information Centre, Guernsey: Feeding an Island

Life on any island is heavily dependent on imports to provide the food and necessities that cannot be grown or made on the island, but how is this done during wartime?

It was only once the German U-boat campaign had intensified that food supplies became a problem for the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

From 1917 to 1920, ration laws controlled every aspect of the food chain from production to what recipes you could use – which for about six months included the use of potatoes in the mix for baking bread.

Anyone wasting food or breaking any of the rules faced a £100 fine – the equivalent of £10,000 today (2014).

Location: Guernsey Information Centre, Guernsey GY1 2LQ
Image shows sugar, butter, meat, bread and breadcrumbs rations
Photograph courtesy of Getty
Presented by Ben Chapple

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3 minutes

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