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Mark McManus
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WWII decorated tram

Museum of Transport

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WWII decorated tram

A decorated tram during the Second World War.

The threat to merchant shipping posed by German U-Boats and warships during the war, and the need to import vast quantities of weapons and munitions for the armed forces, led to a great reduction in the amount of foodstuffs imported to the United Kingdom. Rationing was introduced and people were encouraged to "Dig for Victory" by growing their own fruit and vegetables.

The Corporation used decorated trams as one way of ramming home the related message to the general public, that household waste could be recycled to aid the war effort. As the board on the bus makes clear, food scraps could be saved and fed to pigs and "by saving food scraps you are saving space for planes, tanks and guns" in the holds of ships bringing vital supplies to the UK.

Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums

Keywords:
Corporation Cleansing Department, decorated trams, Dig for Victory, Glasgow Corporation Transport, recycling, Second World War, trams, wartime propaganda



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