{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"When the Second World War began, Scouts had lots of skills that could help their country, especially when food shortages and rationing began.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the late 1930s, when war in Europe seemed increasingly likely, the country realised there\u2019d be food shortages.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the government worked with civilian organisations to help feed the country, Scouts were there to help.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESeveral badges gave Scouts the skills to help, including Dairy Farmer, Poultry Keeper, Gardener and Farmer. In 1938, the Rabbit Farmer badge was introduced to help families supplement their meat ration. The badge was discontinued in 1946.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen war broke out, campaigns were launched to help the nation make the best of home-grown food. \u003Ca href=\u0022/cubs/\u0022 title=\u0022Cubs\u0022\u003ECubs\u003C/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022/scouts/\u0022 title=\u0022Scouts\u0022\u003EScouts\u003C/a\u003E gathered berries from hedgerows for jams and syrups in the \u2018Fruit for fitness\u2019 campaign, while others camped at fruit farms to help bring in the harvest.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EDigging for victory\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Dig for Victory\u2019 was one of the most famous wartime campaigns, encouraging people to grow their own produce. By 1943, the number of allotments in the UK had doubled and it was seen as \u2018doing your bit\u2019 for the war effort.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMany Scouts Groups helped on farms, holding working camps instead of normal summer camps.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/dlwm24gg/scouts-rabbit-farmer-badge-from-the-1930s.png","width":433,"height":430,"altText":"","caption":"Scouts\u0027 Rabbit Farmer badge, 1938\u20131946","link":null},{"quoteText":"Although the work was tiring, the camp was a success, and the Scouts returned feeling that they\u0027d been able to contribute in a small way to the national war effort, and the boys\u0027 health benefitted by the outdoor work. Even if no actual Scouting work was done, we were carrying out our Scout Law in a better way than by merely enjoying ourselves.","attribution":"A Scout Group reflects after helping on a farm","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/s2lhrvnw/scouts-in-1943.jpg","width":452,"height":326,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003ECooking on coupons\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen food rationing was introduced, the nation had to plan their meals by considering what they could buy with food ration coupons.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn August 1940, 5th Durham Scout Group decided to volunteer on a local farm for a week. They later wrote to The Scouter magazine explaining how they coped with cooking on rations.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"The bacon ration necessitated fewer bacon breakfasts than usual, and we were only able to have eggs once, but we made up our breakfast menus with fried tinned tomatoes, sausages and kippers. For dinners, we had boiled fish once, rabbits once and otherwise meat as usual. For our \u2018plum duffs\u2019, we used treacle to replace some of the sugar and dates in place of currants also saved sugar. For tea, we had bread and jam, and also something else such as sardines, cheese, or jelly, and for supper, cocoa and biscuits or soup or rabbit stew.","attribution":"5th Durham Scout Group, The Scouter, 1940","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/qm4mikt4/scouts-supporting-the-war-effort-during-the-second-world-war.jpg","width":525,"height":592,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"quoteText":"\u2026every Scout will have to take his own sugar to camp. There need be no difficulty about butter because margarine is just as good and it is almost impossible to taste any difference. There are many parts of an animal which are not in the meat ration, and your butcher will tell you which they are. In any case you have fish, eggs, rice, cheese and various other foods which are quite as nutritious as meat...","attribution":"The Scouter magazine, April 1940","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EHelping others\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETrue to their promise to help other people, Scouts brought their cooking skills to rest centres, canteens and refreshment vans. These places supported those who\u2019d lost their homes, as well as members of the Armed Forces.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey worked with civilian organisations during the Blitz such as the ARP, fire brigade and ambulance service, who greatly appreciated a cup of tea at the end of a hard shift.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECubs and Scouts also helped sort boxes of comforts for members of the armed forces who were on active service. These boxes included treats, such as chocolate, which was rationed during the war.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Promo","cta":"Get your Remembrance badge from Scout Store","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThis year, our Remembrance badge recollects the efforts of the wartime Scouts who put their promise into action and helped in so many ways. We can only hope they also enjoyed their chocolate ration as a well-earned reward.\u003C/p\u003E","link":{"name":null,"id":null,"url":"https://shop.scouts.org.uk/scouts-leaders-and-volunteers/scouts-and-poppy-rbl","newWindow":false,"target":"_blank"},"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"Explore Scout Store\u0027s Remembrance range ","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"01 September 2025","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Explore Scout Store\u0027s Remembrance range ","url":"https://shop.scouts.org.uk/scouts-leaders-and-volunteers/scouts-and-poppy-rbl","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Buy your Remembrance uniform badge","url":"https://shop.scouts.org.uk/new-in/poppy-scouts-uniform-badge-2025#selection.color=34\u0026selection.size=719","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Marking Remembrance with your group","url":null,"newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":87012,"nodeName":"How Scouts helped feed the UK during the Second World War","title":"How Scouts helped feed the UK during the Second World War","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/s2lhrvnw/scouts-in-1943.jpg?cc=0,0.0954525592004194,0,0.12463946533945794\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dc1c106d06f820","caption":"Scouts In 1943","type":"jpg","size":63609,"width":452,"height":326,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"How Scouts helped feed the UK during the Second World War","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Step back in time to find out how Scouts helped cater in a crisis and keep the UK fed during the war.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC84NzAxMiJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2025/september/how-scouts-helped-feed-the-uk-during-the-second-world-war/"}