The Last Loaf of White Bread
Beck Isle Museum

This object was donated to Beck Isle Museum of Rural Life. It is not known who made it or put it in its own glass cabinet, but the donor told the family story that it was made with the last white flour in the country in 1916.

In November 1916, a government Food Department was set up and the shortage of bread was viewed as a significant problem. Food shortages were increased because of a deliberate campaign by Germany, who from January 1917, used submarines to target supply ships heading to the country.

People in England tended to prefer white bread, which required more flour than wholemeal. People were encouraged to make bread by mixing flour with other things including pre-cooked rice, potatoes, or barley. In May 1917, the Ministry of Food introduced the Bread Order. This banned the sale of newly-baked bread. Only bread that was 12 hours old could be sold in order to make it less appetising and easier to cut thinly. It also meant that the female bakers (now doing jobs traditionally done by men) did not need to do night shifts, leaving behind their children, and fuel was saved by not needing night-time lighting.