Make Do and Mend by Ministry of Information

Ee know that Make Do and Mend classes and groups did spring up all over the country as people tried to help each other. 'never mind, it's quite easy to do, ask at your Technical Institute'

'I've never turned a pair of trousers into a skirt in my life!' I can't help but smile at a blank expression on mother's face as her clothes throw down the gauntlet and try and reassure her that it's really quite easy when you know how. A lot of people didn't like the rhetoric of Make Do and Mend and they felt quite daunted by it and there is an undercurrent of that running throughout the film. 'I'd like to be a nightdress and panties.' 'and we'll join forces and make John a new sweater.' 'well if the youngster wants some shorts I don't mind being cut down' 'for instance I could make a smart costume for the young lady' Not to worry though because here come the family's old clothes, talking and moving no less, to save the day. Many in the cinema audience would have identified with a very glum-looking family who appear in this film visibly fed up with their limited clothing coupons which just won't buy them enough. There was a real scarcity of new clothes because fabric was needed elsewhere for uniforms and the general war effort. The cinema audiences who would have watched this before the main feature started would probably have groaned inwardly at the sight of the ration books. From June 1941 buying new clothes was rationed too. This was a government campaign urging people to repair reuse and reimagine their existing clothes because it wasn't just food that was rationed in the Second World War. It's a newsreel trailer made by the Ministry of information in 1943 and it's all about Make Do and Mend. This is one of those films that makes me smile. 'your old clothes put away and forgotten' 'and I've got to have a few for towels and things for the house.'

Make Do and Mend by Ministry of Information