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3 gallons per week.

Being brought up in England after World War 2, I have a reasonable memory of what rationing life was like even many years after VE Day 1945. However, I am far less familiar with typical urban life in America during the war.

 

So I was fascinated by this exhibit at the small Commemorative Airforce Museum at West Houston Airport. Unfortunately I don't know either its date or the artist. You can click on the image for large size. However, I'll highlight a couple of things. In the bottom left corner, mostly clipped off the photo, is a Victory Garden, very reminiscent of the highly successful British "Dig For Victory" campaign in which huge numbers of open spaces were transformed into allotments to grow fresh food in a time of severe rationing.

 

I was puzzled by the rationing of petrol / gas. Apparently the reason had nothing to do with a shortage of fuel in itself. It was an attempt, that eventually spread across all states, to limit driving because of a drastic shortage of rubber. This was due to the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies that cut off the U.S. supply.

 

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Uploaded on January 13, 2018
Taken on January 6, 2018