Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1941 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 OS folder
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Elsie Fyffe (fl 1940) was a housewife during the Second World War. Just after the outbreak of the Second World War, in 1939, the British economy was placed on a siege footing. This meant that all resources from metal to foodstuffs became scarcer and stocks had to be preserved. In 1940 Lord Woolton was appointed Minister of Food, becoming responsible for operating the rationing system, and a parallel public relations campaign to encourage housewives to make the best of what was available. Food Ministry advertisements were regularly placed in newspapers offering advice on conserving the limited amounts and variety of fare available as well as conserving fuel. Propaganda campaigns revolved around making citizens feel that they were contributing to the war effort by following this guidance. It was in this context that Mrs Elsie Fyffe was informed by the Sunday Pictorial newspaper that she was one of the winners of their award for the twenty best housewives in Britain. For this, she was awarded a diploma signed by Lord Woolton and interviewed by the periodical.
Repository
Archival history
GB 106 7EFY 1941 fonds 1 OS folder Fyffe , Elsie , fl 1940 , housewife
Elsie Fyffe (fl 1940) was a housewife during the Second World War. Just after the outbreak of the Second World War, in 1939, the British economy was placed on a siege footing. This meant that all resources from metal to foodstuffs became scarcer and stocks had to be preserved. In 1940 Lord Woolton was appointed Minister of Food, becoming responsible for operating the rationing system, and a parallel public relations campaign to encourage housewives to make the best of what was available. Food Ministry advertisements were regularly placed in newspapers offering advice on conserving the limited amounts and variety of fare available as well as conserving fuel. Propaganda campaigns revolved around making citizens feel that they were contributing to the war effort by following this guidance. It was in this context that Mrs Elsie Fyffe was informed by the Sunday Pictorial newspaper that she was one of the winners of their award for the twenty best housewives in Britain. For this, she was awarded a diploma signed by Lord Woolton and interviewed by the periodical.
Gift after Kathryn Whitehorn's appeal.
The archive consists of 4 letters from the Sunday Pictorial and a diploma signed by Lord Woolton, dated 1 Nov 1941, all re wartime rationing. Also typescript of Mrs Fyffe's account of a week's routine in feeding her household of two adults and five children, with a summary of housekeeping expenditure for a week in Sep 1941, and details of each day's meals during that week.
This collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.
English
Collection level description available on-line on the Women's Library website
Finding aid created by export from CALM v7.2.14 Archives Hub EAD2002. Edited for AIM25 by Sarah Drewery.
In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
14/02/2008 International conflicts War World war Home economics education Food preparation Homemakers Women Sex Sex distribution World War Two (1939-1945) World wars (events) Wars (events)
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Gift after Kathryn Whitehorn's appeal.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The archive consists of 4 letters from the Sunday Pictorial and a diploma signed by Lord Woolton, dated 1 Nov 1941, all re wartime rationing. Also typescript of Mrs Fyffe's account of a week's routine in feeding her household of two adults and five children, with a summary of housekeeping expenditure for a week in Sep 1941, and details of each day's meals during that week.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
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System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
This collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Collection level description available on-line on the Women's Library website
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
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Publication note
Notes area
Note
Alternative identifier(s)
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Description identifier
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Rules and/or conventions used
In compliance with ISAD (G): General International Standard Archival Description - 2nd Edition (1999); UNESCO Thesaurus, December 2001; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English