GV. Exterior, butcher’s shop. CU. Legs of lamb hanging up, pan down to carcasses. SV. Hand skinning loin of lamb. SV. Wood pigeons hanging on rack in shop. SV. Wood pigeons hanging on rail in window. SV. Scrawny chickens in window. GV. Exterior, butcher’s shop, pan down to notice reading ‘pigs feet, cow heel, calves feet’ etc. CU. Notice. SV. Calves feet, black pudding and some other meat produce in shop window, pan across to pigs’ feet. CU. Pigs’ feet in window. SCU. Frozen rabbits in box. SV. Butcher pulling frozen rabbit from box. CU. Hand cutting lamb chops.
GV. Butcher’s stall in market. Butcher places meat in woman’s bag. CU. Woman wearing head scarf. SV. Butcher wearing bowler hat carving meat. SCU. Word ‘Family’. Word ‘Butcher’. CU. Butcher. SV. Corn beef ration being cut up. SCU. Ration being placed on scale. CU. Weight on scale showing 5 oz. CU. Ration on tray in window. CU. Woman wearing head scarf. SV. Butcher placing ration on block in front of woman.
Butcher: ‘That’s your ration for the week’. Woman: Is this all? What am I supposed to do with that? Butcher: ‘What you like That’s your lot’.
CU. Mr Warner, another butcher. Pathe reporter John Parsons asks: ‘What do you think of this new meat ration? Butcher:’ Oh, I think it’s terrible. It’s a terrible problem for us butchers and even worse problem for the housewife. I really pity her, pity us too.’
CU. Mr Barnes, another butcher. John Parsons asks: ‘What is your message to the people of this country?’ Butcher: ‘I think the people of Islington are getting a very bad deal, on the quality of meat and the quantity it should never be. Thank you.’
SV. Top view, housewives showing Parsons their rations, pan to woman holding up rashers of bacon. CU. Woman holding small girl. She says: ‘On two ration books I can just have a piece of steak or chops. This week I’ve got steak. Next week. I’ll have chips. One week a meat pie, next week chops. That’s how we’ll have to go on!’
CU. Woman wearing spectacles saying: ‘One little bit of steak on Friday and blimey we’ve ‘ad it for the rest of the week then.’
CU. Woman wearing beret saying: ‘We’d like to know what happen to all the offal. Haven’t pigs got any innards and besides I think if they were to close a few restaurants and cafes for a little while and give it to the housewives then we could feed our husbands in the proper way.’
CU. Woman wearing big hat saying: ‘I think it’s simply disgusting. Give us some faggots and peas pudding like they did in the olden days. Then we’ve got something to say, and a nice meat pudding. Good gawd, what does a man live on? 10d worth of meat. Disgusting.’
FILM ID:1431.05
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British Pathé also represents the Reuters historical collection, which includes more than 136,000 items from the news agencies Gaumont Graphic (1910-1932), Empire News Bulletin (1926-1930), British Paramount (1931-1957), and Gaumont British (1934-1959), as well as Visnews content from 1957 to the end of 1984. All footage can be viewed on the British Pathé website. https://www.britishpathe.com/
