Growing up in Sunderland: The year food rationing ended in Britain and what it meant for Sunderland families

The British Government introduced food rationing in 1940 as the Second World War meant national shortages began to take hold. Ration books with coupons were handed out, as families faced long queues and greatly-inflated prices on the black market.

It was almost 10 years after the end of the war when food rationing ended completely on July 3, 1954. For the first time in more than a decade, families could head off to the shops and choose what they wanted, with no need for the book and coupons.

Seventy years on from this historical milestone, we asked members of our Wearside Echoes Facebook group what they remembered about this change in day-to-day life.

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From empty shelves to what you spent your sweet ration on, these are some of your incredible memories.

As we marked 70 years since food rationing ended this month, here is what some of you remember about that time in 1954.

Bill Holland: “My mother on the Co-op shopping van in Redhouse, tearing off tokens from her ration book to buy tea.”

Valerie New: “I remember getting sixpence to buy sweets and when I got to the shop the shelves were empty!”

Anne Neville: “I remember the ration books, and the day that sweets were taken off ration. We went to the sweetshop, clutching our pennies.”

Jean Elliott: “Born in 1942, remember our sweet ration. My dad used to take my sister and I to our local newsagent every Friday night for our sweets and collect our ordered comics. My mam always said Friday was the quietest evening of the week.”

Brendan Haran: “Remember going to the local shop for my mother with a ration book I think for bread. I was born in 1948.”

Doreen Purvis: “My dad had a very sweet tooth but he gave his sweet coupons to me. What a sacrifice. He said he dreamed of his favourite chocolate bar all through the war and wondered if it would taste as good as he remembered. Like most war babies I had never seen or tasted chocolate.”

Christine Thompson: “Sweets only once per week, two ounces only, savoured the flavour and made them last.”

Denis Lamb: “All I remember when sweets came off rationing, I was eight, all the gang ran down to the bottom of Thorney Close Road and went in Forboys sweet shop and not one us had any money to buy sweets. What a bummer, must have thought because rationing had finished it was all free, oh to be as innocent again.”

Judith Porter: “I was nearly eight and it was great that you could go to the shop and buy what you wanted, no rationing happy days.”

Mavis Beckram Radel: “Born in ‘43 remember it well. My mam did the best she could with what she had.”

Brenda Wynn Teasdale: “Buying a sherbet lolly for one penny and a halfpenny with my coupon and couldn’t understand her not wanting the coupon. Mossies Durham road. I was eight years old.”

Geoffrey Gowing: “Sweet rationing seemed to go on forever for a 13 year old.”

Catherine Meddes: “Mam handing over her little book.”

Lavinia Waller: “Going for two ounces of sweets with a coupon. Then playing with the ration books after they were no longer needed.”