VE Day 80: Make Do and Remember Through Wartime Wardrobes
7 May 2025
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on 8 May, we’re taking a look at some of the items in the collections held at The Box that reflect the everyday resilience of civilians on the home front.
The Propaganda in Your Wardrobe: The 'Dig for Victory' Dress
Perhaps no garment better captures the spirit of wartime Britain than the remarkable 'Dig for Victory' dress. This knee-length, A-line dress with its distinctive black bodice isn't just a fashion statement—it's government messaging woven into the fabric of everyday life.
The dress features a colourful print showcasing the bounty of British allotments: spinach, radishes, tomatoes, onions, and beets—visual encouragement of the government's wildly successful 'Dig for Victory' campaign. Launched in October 1939, this initiative transformed the nation's relationship with food production. By 1943, an astonishing 3.5 million allotments had been created across Britain, helping to sustain the population during severe food shortages.
The black bodice has an extended V-shaped ‘collar’ look with embroidered flags either side that represent Britain's Commonwealth countries and American allies. Though the practical 'shirtwaist' style was comfortable for women engaged in war work, these patriotic embellishments suggest it may have been reserved for special occasions—a rare luxury during austere times.
Counting Every Coupon
The clothing ration cards issued to Plymouth residents tell their own story of careful calculation and sacrifice. Between 1941 and 1949, every item of new clothing came at a price measured not just in pounds and shillings, but in precious coupons.
Initially, adults received 66 coupons annually, but by war's end, this had dwindled to just 24. A woman's dress required 11 coupons, a man's shirt 8, and footwear 7, so wardrobes became exercises in strategic planning. This small card in our social history collection below (PLYMG.2017.119.2) represents the mathematical challenge to dress yourself—each purchase weighed carefully against future needs.
Utility and Innovation
Even children's clothing reflected wartime priorities, as seen in the wool 'liberty bodice' below. Originally designed in the late 1800s as a healthier alternative to restrictive corsets, these undergarments gained new importance during wartime scarcity.
It bears a CC41 label which means it was a 'Controlled Commodity' item. It shows that it was part of a limited line of clothing that the government asked British designers to create that met rationing restrictions. Althought the ranges weren't initially met with enthusiasm, this item represents something revolutionary: democratised design that made quality garments available tax-free to the general public. With its rubber buttons and warm wool construction, this liberty bodice addressed children's practical needs within strict material constraints. Even the youngest members of the population were included in the national strategy to conserve resources.
From Battlefield to Boudoir: The Parachute Silk Nightdress
Perhaps most poignant is the home-sewn nightdress made from reclaimed parachute silk. The story behind this garment, as shared by Valerie Grant, volunteer and former The Box Collections Assistant, tells us a lot about post-war ingenuity: "In 1950s Britain, fabric for bridal gowns was an elusive luxury due to rationing. My great Aunt, a Berketex tailoress, attempted to make my mother's wedding dress from Parachute silk, a 1946 souvenir from my grandfather's naval service in Belgium."
Sadly, the transparency of the material ultimately made it unsuitable for a wedding gown, so it found new purpose as a 'going away blouse'. This garment represents the literal transformation of instruments of war into intimate civilian clothing; silk that once carried soldiers into battle zones repurposed for comfort and beauty.
These four garments remind us that victory wasn't won just on battlefields, but through millions of sacrifices and adaptations—big and small—in everyday life. They show how civilians literally wore their contribution to the war effort.
You can see the 'Dig for Victory' dress and other archive and collection items related to World War Two on Saturday 10 May 2025 in our special event, 'Remembering Victory: VE Day 80'.