by Laura Bray
The Merthyr Express of 6th February 1943 ran a piece on the scarcity of fish, assuring Merthyr housewives that the cause was not “due to the Food Control Committee or distribution authorities”.
Apparently the only fish available were “the occasional sprats or kippers” and the paper sent reporters out on the streets to try to ascertain the cause.
All of which made me wonder why the Express would report on this, during World War II, when rationing was just a part of normal life. Well, it seems that fish and chips were not rationed; indeed, the government considered fish and chips to be an important part of the war effort and it was the one solid meal families could get in relative quantity. There were always queues when the chip shops were frying.
But although fish was not rationed, the oil for frying was, so the quality was not always great, and the fish themselves were also prone to variations in supply. Fishing vessels had been requisitioned by the Royal Navy, and those still in use were subject to attacks from German U-boats. The price of fish rose considerably, but the government managed to maintain a steady supply, which would have been no mean feat. So important were fish and chips to the war effort that allegedly British troops were known to use it as code to identify friendly troops: one would shout fish, and the other would reply chips.
So, what did cause the scarcity of fish in this February? The Express reported that it was down to a combination of bad weather around the coasts, and the few fish that did get through were prioritised for the hospitals.
Hopefully the situation resolved itself within a few weeks, although the Express remains silent on this.