The Impact and Implementation of Food Rationing in WWI Scotland

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key terms, organizations, statistics, and social impacts of food rationing in Scotland during World War I.

Ministry of Food

A government department created in $1916$ to control food production and supplies across Britain.

Cooper park

A public park in Elgin that was turned over to food production to help increase domestic food supplies.

Women's Land Army

An organization created during World War I to produce more food, employing $23{,}000$ Scottish women to work on the land.

Meatless Days

Government-encouraged days when families were requested not to eat meat, designated in Scotland on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Voluntary Rationing

A scheme introduced in $1917$ encouraging people to voluntarily limit their consumption of bread, meat, sugar, and dairy products.

Compulsory Rationing

A mandatory system introduced in $1918$ requiring the use of ration cards to buy food after voluntary rationing proved insufficient.

Convoy System

A naval tactic introduced by $1918$ in which merchant ships crossed the Atlantic as a fleet under naval protection to reduce the U-Boat threat.

Caithness Fishermen

Scottish fishermen who lost their lives to a German U-boat when their fishing vessels were targeted.

Pre-1914 Overseas Food Dependency

The condition prior to $1914$ where $600/0$ of food consumed in Britain was imported from overseas, mostly from Canada and the United States.

Pre-1914 Import Percentages by Food Type

The breakdown of food imported before $1914$: sugar, chocolate, and cocoa ($1000/0$); cheese ($800/0$); cereals, wheat, and rice ($790/0$); fruit ($730/0$); butter ($650/0$); eggs and margarine ($500/0$); meat ($400/0$); and vegetables ($360/0$).

Black Market

An illegal trade that developed during rationing where people with more money could purchase extra food rations.

Bread Queues

Lines formed due to widespread bread shortages that resulted in public unrest, requiring police intervention to prevent violence and restore order.

Impact of Rationing on Social Classes

The effect of bringing upper and lower classes closer together to an extent, as wealthier people experienced and realized what living in poverty was like for the first time.

Agricultural Ploughing Obstacle

A major disadvantage to home food production caused by the deployment of many horses and donkeys to the front, which prevented land from being ploughed as quickly.

Scottish Fishing Boat Countermeasures

Defensive operations conducted by Scottish fishing vessels, which laid anti-submarine nets and mine-fields across the English Channel and North Sea.

Rationed Food Items

Specific food items subjected to compulsory rationing measures, including sugar, butter, margarine, and bread.