World War 2 Adverts

When World War Two ended on May 7, 1945, the makers of Bovril produced an advertising poster to celebrate Victory in Europe. Bovril was a popular drink then, just as it is today, and most housewives would keep a jar in their kitchen cupboard because it was so useful. A spoonful of the thick, salty paste mixed with hot water makes a drink that tastes of beef. It can also be used to add flavour to soups and stews, and children in the 1940s loved to spread Bovril on their bread or toast. But it was invented long before the start of the war. Its history goes back to another battle in the 19th century when the Germans beat the French. They blamed their defeat on not having enough food. A Scotsman, John Lawson Johnston, was given the job of getting beef for the French army. But Britain didn't have enough supplies, so he came up with the idea for a liquid beef drink. Johnston called it Bovril after "bos," which means an ox in Latin, and "vril" which was the name of an energy fluid in a book that he had read.

It was fashionable for men in the 1940s to put perfumed oil in their hair. The most famous make of oil was Brylcreem which was, and still is, sold all over the world. The greasy cream was squeezed out of a tube, rubbed between the palms and was used to slick down combed hair to give it a neat, shiny look. It was particularly popular with Royal Air Force pilots who became known as the Brylcreem Boys. They liked the smooth image it gave them. Tony Gibson was the face of Brylcreem, appearing in advertisements for the hair gel during the war. In the Battle of Britain, when we took to the skies to defend our country, Gibson was photographed in a RAF uniform. In real life, he never wore a uniform of any kind. He was jailed several times after refusing to fight the Germans because he didn't believe in war. David Beckham advertised Brylcreem in the 1990s to encourage young men to use the oil, but he had to stop doing this when he shaved off his hair!

One of the commonest items on the shelf of a 1940s pantry (kitchen cupboard) was Camp coffee. This was a substitute for the real thing. The drink, which has been produced in Scotland since 1885 and is still sold today, is made from coffee, sugar and chicory, a plant with a root like a parsnip, which was roasted in a kiln and then crushed. The liquid was poured from a bottle and mixed with boiling water. The story goes that it was invented after Scottish soldiers asked for a coffee drink that could be brewed up easily by the army at their camps in India. The label on the bottle is known throughout the world. It shows a turbaned Indian servant waiting on an officer in a kilt while he sits relaxed, sipping the brew. Some people have criticised the label for being racist and called for the picture to be scrapped.

As soon as the war started people were worrying that Britain was full of German spies. The government was also concerned and locked up lots of Germans and Austrians living in this country. Our wartime leaders feared that some British people could be working for the enemy, so they put up posters everywhere, warning the public to be careful. "Careless Talk Costs Lives," was the message on the posters, which were often funny. Some showed people talking on a bus or in a café, with Hitler listening in the background. Others used cartoon characters, such as Popeye, to attract attention. Another slogan used was "Keep mum - she's not so dumb," as well as "Keep it under your hat," and "You never know who's listening!" The aim of this information, or propaganda, was to stop men and women gossiping about how the war was being fought in case spies overheard them. The posters were a huge success because they were easy to understand and made everyone laugh.

When war was declared in September, 1939, all cinemas were closed for safety reasons. Most, however, were back in business within a week because it was realised that the nation needed entertainment to keep up its spirits. If a town or city was bombed while a film was being shown, it would be stopped and the cinema manager would come on stage to announce an air raid warning. But most cinemagoers preferred to stay in their seats. Picture houses, as they were also known, were considered safe places to be during a bombing raid. People would shelter under the balcony for maximum protection. Basement cinemas, like the Ritz in London's Leicester Square, were also popular. Audiences flocked to see morale-boosting films with a war theme and Hollywood movies in Technicolor. People also relied on the cinema to keep them informed about what was happening in the war. Pathe News programmes were broadcast on the big screen, along with information films, telling the public how to recognise a spy and reminding them to lock away maps in case the enemy got hold of them.

You didn't need a ration book to buy cosmetics during the war. What you did need was a huge slice of luck - and a friendly chemist. Foundation, powder, mascara and lipstick were like gold dust. Well known brands such as Ponds and Goya had almost vanished from the shelves. Some enterprising chemists made their own cosmetics from simple ingredients. They could offer their customers jars of cold cream, hand cream and talcum powder. Ladies desperate for a little luxury snapped everything up. Lipsticks, when they could be found, were usually bright red in colour, Tangee lipstick cost 6d. Make do and mend was the order of the day - in cosmetics as in everything else. Girls who were working in the munitions factories, or on the land, often used machine grease to soothe their chapped sore hands. Others used boot polish instead of mascara. Perfumes tended to smell rather overpowering. Ashes of Roses, sold by Woolworth's, and another called Midnight in Paris were very popular.

During the war the Germans sank many British ships, which were bringing food to our country. This led to shortages so the Government asked people to grow their own vegetables and to keep animals. Families were told to "Dig for Victory." Pigs were especially popular because they could be fed on kitchen scraps and fattened up to provide pork and bacon. Soon pig-keeping became a craze. There were 6,900 Pig Clubs, with hundreds of thousands of members. Each club raised money to buy the beasts. It meant that everyone had meat and vegetables to eat, otherwise they might have starved.

By 1939 there were two million cars on Britain's roads and more than one million people were employed in the motor industry, turning out 500,000 vehicles a year. The UK was the second biggest producer of cars, after the USA. Companies, like Rolls-Royce, had a worldwide reputation for quality. Other well-known makes included Triumph, MG, Bentley, Austin and Aston Martin. The Morris Series E Saloon was the cheapest car on sale at the time. It cost £128. One of the fastest motors around was the Jaguar SS100 which had a top speed of 100mph. When the war came, car factories switched to making weapons and aeroplanes, while also still producing cars and trucks for the army. There were big changes too for drivers. Petrol was rationed, so that each motorist could drive no more than 200 miles a month. Even if you had enough fuel, driving at night was dangerous because the streetlights were turned off to prevent enemy air attacks. In 1941, more than 9,000 people were killed on the country's roads, including almost 5,000 pedestrians. A 20mph speed limit came in after dark to try to cut the number of deaths.

The Café de Paris, which was and still is one of London's most famous venues for entertainment, was allowed to stay open when war broke out in 1939 - unlike theatres and cinemas. The Prince of Wales often dined and danced at the restaurant, along with kings and queens from all over Europe, film stars, politicians and rich people. Top entertainers performed there, such as Fred Astaire, a well-known dancer, and Marlene Dietrich, an actress and singer. The café's managers boasted that it was one of the safest places to be during an air raid because it had four storeys of solid brick to protect its customers. But this proud claim tragically turned out to be untrue when a bomb hit the building in March, 1941, during the Blitz when the Germans tried to destroy our cities. It was a Saturday night and the floor was crowded with dancers. Eighty people were killed, including Ken "Snakehips" Johnston who was performing on stage at the time.

Women had to have large handbags in the war because there was so much that they needed to carry around with them. Everyone was given an identity card and this had to be kept with the person at all times in case the police wanted to check the card. So this was one of the first things a woman would put in her bag. She would also put in a torch to help her see during the blackout. Housewives would also put their ration books in their handbag when they went shopping - and one item they never forgot to leave the house with was their gas mask to protect them from a possible poison gas attack. This too went into the bag. In fact some handbags were specially made with a false bottom, where you could keep your gas mask in its cardboard box.