Lest we forget

Today, on Remembrance Day, I have been thinking about the sacrifices so many have made for our country and our freedoms.  

Even at home, our lives were changed by the war.  Did you know that whipped cream became unknown from 1939 to 1948 as well as chocolates and cakes with rich crèmes?  Coffee became unavailable and most people created a substitute from roasted ground down barley seeds and acorns.  Many people kept rabbits at home as meat became scarce and almost everyone had a Victory garden for their own vegetables.  Citrus fruits and bananas were rare; in fact, any oranges sold were intended only for children.

Soldiers always had an emergency ration called a D-ration which included a highly caloric and energy boosting chocolate bar that was so hard some troops had to soak it in hot coffee or water in order to eat it or use a bayonet to cut it.  Rationing caused long lines at shops.  The first foods to be rations included bacon, sugar, tea, butter and meat.  One egg a week was the ration in 1941.  With eggs rationed, people used dried egg powder.  One packet of egg powder was equal to 12 fresh eggs.  With the introduction of tinned meats like Spam, breakfast could be scrambled eggs from powder eggs and fried Spam.  More likely, it was dinner. 

In so many ways, the sacrifices of those who have gone before have provided our freedoms and rights, our way of life and, in countless, small, unacknowledged ways, have ensured that the little luxuries which add comfort to our lives are available to us.  The extent of the gift they have given us should give us pause.  Thank you.  Lest we forget.