5thCLASS_1_96_jg:Layout 1 5/3/12 17:35 Page 30


Clothing was rationed in 1942, and clothes and shoes were handed down to other family members to save coupons as much as possible.


Fuelandtransport From the outbreak of the war, petrol was limited to essential services, including doctors, ambulances and public transport. Most people used bicycles to get around. Eventually, these were in short supply as rubber became scarce. Buses and trams were also affected by petrol rationing; the bus service finished at ten o’clock every night. The train service also suffered, as engines that were designed to run on coal had to run on turf instead. This meant that journeys took much longer and there was only one train a day on all mainline routes.


The shortage of fuel meant that not as much electricity could be generated. Even the tram service was suspended in 1944, when severe drought reduced the output from the hydroelectric power-stations.


Cookingandheating People were allowed to use gas for only a short time each day. In Dublin, a man called the ‘glimmerman’ went around to check that people did not cheat by using gas at other times. If the ‘glimmerman’ found that the gas ring was hot, the gas supply to that house would be cut off immediately.


Coal was also in short supply; many city-dwellers bought or rented plots of bogland and cut their own turf for fuel.


Irishshipping During World War II, one of the greatest difficulties facing Ireland was that of importing food and raw materials. In 1941, the Irish government set up its own shipping company called Irish Shipping. Fifteen cargo ships were bought to carry the vital supplies from Britain and the US.


Every time the ships went to sea, the sailors knew that they were in danger, as there was a constant threat from German submarines, or ‘U-Boats’. In 1942, the Irish Pine was sunk in the North Atlantic. All 33 sailors on board died. Neither the bodies nor the wreckage of the ship were ever found.


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