Eggs or Anarchy by William Sitwell

Author:William Sitwell [Sitwell, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

11

REGULATION AND AUSTERITY

On 21 March 1941 Woolton was summoned to Chequers, the Prime Minister’s rural retreat in Buckinghamshire.

Chequers, a well as being a haven from bomb-torn London, was a refuge from the ration. Churchill, disparaging of the system, thinking it over-complicated and lacking a bit of common sense, liked to base his views on first-hand experience. He had written to Woolton a few days earlier – on 2 March – complaining about a new system of regulating foodstuffs, whereby consumers had to choose between fish or meat. ‘I should have though that an exhortation not to leave anything on the plate, and to take small portions, with, if necessary, a second helping, would be a wise step.’

For Woolton such advice was just Churchillian eccentricity. But clearly that was how Churchill managed his own personal ration. He cleared his plate and then had a second helping if he felt like one. After all there was no lack of food at Chequers or 10 Downing Street. Churchill told his personal staff to write to the Ministry of Food; but not to Woolton. The letters, containing requests for extra ration books, points or whatever was needed, would always be addressed to more junior minions who would not query demands from the Prime Minister.

For example, on 24 June 1940 Churchill’s private secretary John Martin wrote to one R. P. Harvey at the ministry to say: ‘Both at Chequers and at No 10 Downing Street the rationing restrictions make it very difficult to entertain officially to the extent which the Prime Minister finds necessary. Mr Churchill has asked if an arrangement could be made whereby in both instances extra rations could be supplied to cover official guests.’

Likewise in the same month there was a letter from the Downing Street cook, Georgina Landemere, asking for extra ration books. Other staff, such as Kathleen Hill or Elizabeth Layton – assistant private secretaries – wrote frequently during the course of the war to say they had ‘exhausted’ their supplies and to ask for extra coupons for meat and cooking fats and tea as well as cheese and butter vouchers. One private secretary wrote to the Army & Navy Store in London asking for extra sugar for ‘bottling’ at Chequers. Similarly those who had to entertain Churchill – if he was due for a weekend house party, for example, or just coming for lunch – would write to the Ministry of Food.

On 14 November 1940 John Martin put in another request, this time for extra coupons for the chef at Ditchley Park, in Oxfordshire (where Churchill often stayed and sometimes held important meetings).

There is also a record of a telephone conversation between Martin and a ministry official on 20 November 1940, in which the official confirmed that there would be ‘no difficulty’ in using special diplomatic food coupons at places, other than Chequers, where the Prime Minister might spend his weekends. While Britain had to tighten its belt, it seems Churchill merely loosened his.

But Woolton would not raise his eyebrows at the food on offer at Chequers that evening in March 1941.

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