https://www.flinthammuseum.org.uk/

The Flintham Museum, Flintham Museum, Inholms Road, Flintham (2026)

01/06/2026

The Power Of The Ration Book

Seventy years after the end of food rationing in 1954, we know that shopping for limited food supplies during WWII and beyond was no fun for the housewife. However, it was equally as difficult, if not more so, on the other side of the shop counter. For 15 years, shopkeepers coped with mounds of official paperwork to ensure that the rationing system worked at every level, well before food reached a family’s table.

Fred White and his daughter Muriel ran White’s Stores at Flintham Nottinghamshire. During 1939, as war approached, women had begun to stockpile food ‘just in case’. Many shopkeepers bought extra food and put up their prices – hence the need for the Prices of Goods Act in 1939.

During 1939, Fred White’s ordering pattern was similar to previous years, but he sent his wholesaler a large order, just days before war was declared on 3 September. Unfortunately, his wholesaler was unable to deliver a number of the requested items, especially sugar, because their warehouse shelves were empty; shopkeepers had been stocking up for months.

In 1931, Flintham’s population was 242. By early 1940 people all round the country were on the move, and the exact number of people living in Flintham at the beginning of rationing, 8 January 1940, is not known. Shopkeepers realised that to ensure they received rationed items to sell they must persuade housewives to register with them. Many women, with memories of severe food shortages during WWI, and perhaps unsure of whether rationing would work, registered with more than one shopkeeper. This was not so easy for those who lived in rural areas where there was little or no choice of retail outlets.

Fred’s handwritten lists show that 133 people were registered with him in 1941 for sugar, jam, butter, fats and cheese. The population would have dropped as men left to join the Forces, but to what extent did Fred have to be especially nice to his female customers to ensure they placed their ration books at his shop? Did some younger women register with Newark grocers, especially if they worked at the ball bearing or munitions factories in Newark?

Come back to get a feel of the variety of instructions from the M*F, the continuous ‘do’s and don’ts’ issued on tiny slips of paper, and decide whether being a shopkeeper was more difficult than being a housewife with decreasing food resources.

15/04/2026

Ready, Steady, but not able to go!

The Flintham Museum looks at rural life through the eyes of Fred White, a 20th century village shopkeeper at Flintham, Nottinghamshire. He opened his shop in 1911 and handed it over to his daughter Muriel at the end of WWII. Muriel ran the shop until 1982 when it closed for good.

Food rationing began in January 1940 and ended in July 1954. Previous posts have explained how: in the mid-1930s, scientists had worked out the minimum food requirements to keep the population healthy and able to work; that ration books were sent for printing in September 1938; and returned to the Ministry of Food (M*F) in August 1939, just in time for distribution before war was declared the following month.

However, housewives had to register with one or more shopkeepers, who had to register their shops with the M*F before they could accept any ration books. Over four million ration books had to have a name written on the covers. But, at the beginning of the war, so many people were on the move that the authorities were not sure where anyone lived. Children were being evacuated and men were leaving home to join the Services.

At the end of September 1939 a national survey was taken, similar to the ten-yearly Census, so that the M*F knew who was living where and housewives could begin registering with shopkeepers. Hours were then spent writing names on to ration books which were posted out, until at last, everything was in place and rationing could finally begin in January 1940. Butter, bacon and sugar were the first rationed foods; followed by meat and preserves in March; and tea, margarine and cooking fats in July.

While families knew that they were guaranteed food, shopkeepers began to realise that their working lives were not going to be easy. Come back and find out about all the rules and regulations Fred and Muriel had to cope with to keep their customers fed.

27/03/2026

Organising the Distribution of WWII Ration Books

The Flintham Museum looks at rural life through the eyes of Fred White, a village shopkeeper in Nottinghamshire. Fred opened his shop, White’s Stores, on Flintham’s Main Street in 1911 and officially retired in his ‘70s so he was involved with WWII food rationing. This began 8 January 1940, just over four months after the declaration of war on 3 September 1939.

Fifty million ration books had been printed just before the start of the war and were ready for posting. However, they could not be sent out immediately because so many people were on the move; by 2 September children and their mums were being evacuated and men were being called up to join the Forces. No-one was certain about who lived where. On 29 September 1939 a compulsory survey was taken, similar to the 10-yearly Census. Once all names and addresses had been collected, teams of people began transferring details onto the appropriate type of ration book. Differences, such as under-16s, pregnancy or certain types of manual worker were noted by the colour of the ration book’s cover.

Getting the ration books out wasn’t the only problem. Housewives had to nominate the shopkeepers with whom they would trade, and shopkeepers had to be registered with the Ministry of Food, through their local Food Office which in Flintham’s case was in Bingham.

The time taken to get the ration books ready for posting gave shopkeepers time to encourage housewives to register with them. Fred White was responsible for the village’s Special Constables and left his daughter, Muriel to run the shop and encourage housewives to register with the White family. No doubt Muriel did her best but by the time the ration books were in place, only about 43% of possible registrations had been placed at White’s Stores. However, at the start of the war, a number of Flintham’s women began working in Newark factories. Newark had a greater choice of retailers so there was more likelihood of buying fresh produce rather than waiting to get back to Flintham to find that the older housewives had bagged the best of the fresh food available that week.

In the next post we’ll look at how changes in rationing were shared and how Fred White and Muriel managed the system. Did they cope or drown under an avalanche of ‘dos and don’ts’? See you soon.

23/03/2026

Preparing For Food Distribution In Case Of War

The Flintham Museum looks at rural life through the eyes of a village shopkeeper. Using shop-related documents, 1911-1982, it is possible to glimpse many aspects of life in Flintham, Nottinghamshire.

Food rationing, 1940-1954, tends to be seen from the housewives’ point of view because feeding families with limited food supplies was not easy. But, shopkeepers had an equally difficult time; they dealt with the Ministry of Food on one side of the shop counter, and their customers on the other side of the counter. Neither group was easy to work with!

Finding food at reasonable prices during the 1914-1918 war proved difficult and was not easily forgotten. Therefore, in the 1930s when it became clear that Hi**er, in Germany, had territorial ambitions which could lead to another European war, the Government began to think through food provision in the event of conflict.

By 1936 scientists had worked out the minimum food requirements to keep people healthy and able to work or study, while civil servants decided how food would be evenly distributed on a weekly basis. Food allocations would be by ration books, one for each member of a family.

In September 1938, the country was a whisker away from war so the Government ordered the printing of 50 million ration books, while women began to stockpile food. The ration books were ready for distribution in August 1939, about a month before war was declared. However, it was not until 8 January 1940 that food rationing finally began.

Come back and find out why there was a delay of four months and how Fred White at Flintham began to prepare for food rationing.

12/03/2026

Feeding Flintham, 1914-1920

The Flintham Museum, Nottinghamshire, looks at rural life through the eyes of a village shopkeeper. Using unsold shop stock and paperwork from 1911-1982, many aspects of village life can be glimpsed. Food rationing, 1940-1954, is a good example of how we can ‘see’ what villagers ate by reading tiny bits of paper issued by local food offices.

To understand food rationing and why it was introduced so early in World War Two you have to look back to World War One. In 1914 Britain imported 60% of all its food, including 80% of its wheat, nearly all of its sugar and 40% of its meat. Getting these staple items into Britain became increasingly difficult, the cost of food shot up and a thriving black market developed from 1915. By 1916, following a poor potato harvest, there were acute food shortages and outbreaks of scurvy in the north. The Government had to accept that it must do something to improve food availability so that the population was fit enough to keep working to support the troops fighting abroad.

A rationing system was worked out during 1916 but it was in 1917, with just three to four weeks of food available for the home market, that the Government began to take the problem seriously. Voluntary rationing had already begun and in January 1918 a national sugar ration was introduced, followed by meat, butter and margarine rationing. Food controls were not lifted until 1920.

Come back to find out how acute food shortages during WWI meant that a rationing system was developed in 1936, but why it was not until January 1940 that food rationing finally began and lasted until 1954.

09/03/2026

Book a visit to The Flintham Museum

Fancy visiting a museum that looks at rural life through the eyes of a village shopkeeper? Then come to the Flintham Museum, about six miles from Newark.
The current shop window displays feature skills that were once common in Flintham such as harness making and leather working, and take a look at the 1926 General Strike when the village Special Constables paraded up and down the Fosse Way in case of ‘trouble’.
Visits to the museum are arranged on a day and at a time to suit you and the volunteer curator. A village walk and talk is also available.
Email [email protected] with possible dates for your visit. Look forward to seeing you.

07/03/2026

Feeding Flintham In Difficult Times

Fred White and his daughter Muriel, Flintham’s village shopkeepers, 1911-1982, were key people during WWII food rationing which began 8 January 1940 and did not end until 30 June 1954.

The amount of paperwork necessary to ensure that everyone received their food allocations was colossal. The Whites, being hoarders, have ensured that the fascinating, often complex, story of food rationing in Flintham can be told through slips of paper sent from the Ministry of Food via the local food office.

The next few posts from the Flintham museum will explain how Britain was fed during WWII and for the following nine years. The British population may have been bored by the unexciting selection of food available, but by 1954 the population was healthier than it had been before the war began in 1939.

Come back to find out how food rationing worked, both during the war and in the following years. And then decide how you and your family would react if there was a similar need for food to be rationed in the near future.

28/01/2026

Pin Money

The Flintham Museum looks at rural life through the eyes of a village shopkeeper. The museum opened in 1999 and uses unsold shop stock and relevant paperwork to tell stories about different aspects of 20th century village life.

The photo shows part of one of our early shop window displays which featured ways that women made their homes attractive by embroidering tablecloths and cushion covers.

In the centre of the photo are four packets of black-topped pins. Before modern machinery, making pins was expensive but, along with buttons and laces, pins were essential to keep clothes fastened. The zip was not invented until the 1890s and it took a few years before it was perfected and ready for use on clothing.

In the 1600s men gave their wives and daughters ‘pin money’ to spend on themselves. Gradually the term came to mean a small sum of money to spend on inessential items.

It is said that some early shopkeepers who were short of small coins gave their customers pins instead of change. But without written evidence, that’s hard to prove. What do you think? Would you have been happy to receive ‘pin money’?

07/12/2025

The Flintham Museum December 2025 Newsletter

26/11/2025

Monday Blues

The Flintham Museum looks at rural life through the eyes of a village shopkeeper. Life for Flintham housewives was often challenging, especially on Mondays, the day when the washing was done.

Monday was the traditional washday because

· Sunday was a rest day so women were ready for a long day’s work;

· There was usually meat left from the Sunday joint so there wasn’t any need to spend time cooking from scratch

· It was rare for markets to be held on Mondays so there was no reason to leave the house

Washday began very early. Items were divided into six different piles according to the fabric and put to soak while water was being boiled. White cottons were washed first, rinsed and then blue bags used to make the white seem even whiter. By 11am it was expected that all whites should be on the washing line.

Silk items were the last to be washed, around 12.30pm. At 2pm sheets and white collars were (hopefully) ready to be starched and by 2.30pm dry clothes were ready for the mangle or an iron which had been heating at the side of the fire.

The Bumpo poster is from the 1920s, advertising a new wash powder which was easier to use than soap and a scrubbing board. But, what happened if it rained? How were clothes dried in the winter in small cottages? Would you have coped with washing clothes 100 years ago?

The Flintham Museum

01/06/2026

15/04/2026

27/03/2026

23/03/2026

12/03/2026

09/03/2026

07/03/2026

28/01/2026

07/12/2025

26/11/2025

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