Thread: Lord Beaverbrook's appeal: Give us your aluminium

“Give us your aluminium" cried Lord Beaverbrook, Minister for Aircraft Production, to the women of Britain, "and we will turn your pots and pans into Spitfires and Hurricanes, Blenheims and Wellingtons." And as one woman the housewives of Britain rushed to the 1,600 dumps hastily organized by the Women's Voluntary Services, not only with their pots, pans and kettles, but with aluminium hot water bottles, mince’s and dredgers, shoe-trees and hair curlers, cigarette cases, finger plates and door handles, motorcar registration plates and bicycle mudguards. One contribution to a Westminster dump was an artificial leg, and to Chelsea was brought a racing car with an aluminium body. Hundreds of tons of this light-weight metal have been collected within a few days.

Lord Beaverbrook's appeal to housewives for aluminium goods brought an immediate and overwhelming response. Lady Lucas Tooth, in charge of the W.V.S. at Chelsea, is here seen receiving contributions at the Town Hall.

was most of the women making the spits aswel!

With the war now on Britain's doorstep, the nation rallied behind its new leaders. The appeal broadcast on 10 July by Lady Reading, head of the WVS (Women's Voluntary Service), for 'everything made of aluminium' to be turned into aircraft met with an instant, overwhelming response across the country. Salvage drives for all sorts of materials quickly became part of daily life. Parks, gardens, squares, even churchyards lost their ornamental iron gates and railings, while tins, bones, gramophone records, films, rags, jars, bottles and paper were all grist to the recycling mill. Everyone wanted to be seen doing something to aid the war effort. They also wanted to keep in touch with events, as this crowd watching a street cinema newsreel (above) aptly demonstrates.