Allotment - the Where, When, Why and How - Digging for Victory, then and now

Before the Second World War started, Great Britain imported about 55 million tons of food a year from other countries - particularly from the Commonwealth. The German army, air force and in particular navy, did what they could to disrupt the trade routes especially using battleships and submarines to hunt down and sink British merchant vessels. This led the government to introduce a system of rationing - but anything people could grow for themselves didn't count as part of their ration.

As a result, the British government also introduced a Dig for Victory campaign calling on every man and woman to keep an allotment - as a result lawns and flower-beds were turned into vegetable gardens and even national parks and royal estates became allotment land. It was estimated that over 1,400,000 people caught the allotment bug. In addition, allotment holders were encouraged to keep chickens, rabbits and even goats. Pigs were especially popular as they could be fed on kitchen waste.

After the war many of these allotments were closed down, although others were opened on areas of land that had been bombed. Many of the allotments created at this time are still running today. The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms are running a Dig for Victory allotment project in St James's Park, London from May-September 2007. The campaign is not just about history, but focuses on issues that are increasing relevant today, such as access to fresh healthy food, being active, living a sustainable lifestyle, food miles and organic versus intensive farming. The Dig For Victory allotment will be open every day from 25 May to 30 September, between ten am and five pm. Further details can be found at www.iwm.org.uk/cabinet.

Winston Churchill allotment photograph by crystalspman, used under a creative commons attribution licence