Eighty years ago, Britain celebrated its first peacetime Christmas since 1938. It was a time of hope indeed, but a look through newspaper archives reveals a complex picture. Christmas 1945 was an austerity Christmas. One in which grief and suffering, remembrance and loneliness mingled with reunions, church attendance and muted celebration.
It was the first Christmas under the Labour government elected in 1945, though Prime Minister Clement Attlee did not address the nation. The Christmas address was by King George VI, who noted that Britons still had to “make a little go a long way”.
The government had negotiated a colossal loan from the United States because Britain was close to bankruptcy. The Times reported that extra meat, margarine, sugar and sweets “allocated in good time” would permit “a near approach to traditional fare in most homes”. However, rationing remained in force and for many, the top priority was simply to get back to their families.
