document_title: List of Call the Midwife characters

question_text: who plays the old nun in call the midwife

question_tokens: who plays the old nun in call the midwife

root

text: List of Call the Midwife characters

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Actor
Character
Role
Series

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Jessica Raine
Jenny Lee
Nurse, midwife
Main
Does not appear

Miranda Hart
Chummy Noakes
(Camilla Browne)
Nurse, midwife
Main
Does not appear

Jenny Agutter
Sister Julienne
Sister-in-charge, midwife
Main

Judy Parfitt
Sister Monica Joan
Retired midwife
Main

Pam Ferris
Sister Evangelina †
Nurse, midwife
Main
Does not appear

Bryony Hannah
Sister Mary Cynthia
(Cynthia Miller)
Nurse, midwife
Main
Does not appear

Helen George
Beatrix "Trixie" Franklin
Senior nurse, midwife
Main

Laura Main
Shelagh Turner
(Sister Bernadette)
Sister and Practice manager, practice midwife, Senior midwife (Nonnatus House) (Series 6-)
Main

Stephen McGann
Patrick Turner
General practitioner
Main

Cliff Parisi
Frederick "Fred" Buckle
Caretaker
Main

Ben Caplan
Peter Noakes
Police Sergeant
Main
Does not appear

Vanessa Redgrave
Voice of Jennifer Worth
Nurse, midwife
Main

Emerald Fennell
Patience "Patsy" Mount
Nurse, midwife
Does not appear
Guest
Main
Does not appear

Victoria Yeates
Sister Winifred
Midwife
Does not appear
Main

Jack Ashton
Tom Hereward
Curate
Does not appear
Main

Charlotte Ritchie
Barbara Hereward †
Nurse, midwife
Does not appear
Main

Linda Bassett
Phyllis Crane
Nursing sister, midwife
Does not appear
Main

Annabelle Apsion
Violet Buckle
Wife of Fred Buckle
Does not appear
Recurring
Main

Kate Lamb
Delia Busby
Nurse
Does not appear
Recurring
Main
Does not appear

Jennifer Kirby
Valerie Dyer
Nurse, midwife
Does not appear
Main

Leonie Elliott
Lucille Anderson
Nurse, midwife
Does not appear
Main

Max Macmillan
Timothy "Tim" Turner
Patrick Turner's son
Recurring

George Rainsford
James "Jimmy" Wilson
Friend of Jenny Lee
Recurring
Does not appear

Cheryl Campbell
Lady Browne †
Chummy's mother
Recurring
Does not appear
Recurring
Does not appear

Dorothy Atkinson
Jane Sutton
Medical orderly
Does not appear
Recurring
Does not appear

Leo Starr
Alec Jesmond †
Boyfriend of Jenny Lee
Does not appear
Recurring
Does not appear

Alice Brown
Angela Turner
Adopted daughter of Shelagh and Patrick Turner
Does not appear
Recurring

Maxine Evans
Mrs Busby
Delia Busby's mother
Does not appear
Recurring
Does not appear

Harriet Walter
Sister Ursula
Sister-in-charge, midwife, nurse
Does not appear
Recurring
Does not appear

Jack Hawkins
Christopher Dockerill
Dentist
Does not appear
Recurring

Daniel Laurie
Reggie Jackson
Fred and Violet Buckle's ward
Does not appear
Recurring

Trevor Cooper
Sergeant Woolf
Police Sergeant
Does not appear
Recurring

Nina Yndis
Magda
The Turners' au pair
Does not appear
Recurring

tag: table

text: Characters[edit]

text: Sister Julienne[edit]

text:
Sister Julienne

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Jenny Agutter

Duration
2012–

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Introduced by
Jennifer Worth

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Sister-in-charge, nun, midwife and nurse

text: By necessity, Sister Julienne conceals an iron fist in a velvet glove, managing both her charges and fellow sisters with a combination of tact, compassion, and no-nonsense advice.

tag: p

text: Her steadfast, compassionate guidance makes her an anchor for her colleagues and in a very real way, it is she who holds the inhabitants of Nonnatus House together. She always offers comfort and help to the young midwives and also has a notably close, warm and maternal relationship with Sister Bernadette, serving as her chief mentor and confidante. Beginning with series 4, it becomes clear that the weight of always having to be "the wise one" takes a heavier toll on her than many would guess, and she is increasingly shown leaning on Shelagh (formerly Sister Bernadette) for counsel and support; nevertheless, her faith is not shaken and she remains a serene, guiding presence for all of Nonnatus House. Her pre-Order name was Louise.

text: In the sixth series after her return from Africa, Sister Julienne becomes Deputy Sister-in-Charge to Sister Ursula. Although Sister Ursula leaves in the third episode and Sister Julienne becomes sister in charge again.

text: Sister Monica Joan[edit]

text:
Sister Monica Joan

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Judy Parfitt

Duration
2012–

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Introduced by
Jennifer Worth

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Nun, retired midwife and nurse

text: One of the UK's earliest registered nurses, and the last surviving founder of Nonnatus House, Sister Monica Joan (whose birth name was Antonia Cavill) retired from practice prior to the events of the series, who is suffering from the early stages of dementia and feeble body. Desperate to be of service and feel useful, she is given make-work tasks to keep her occupied, such as rolling bandages (which the nurses secretly unrolled beforehand). Sister Julienne expresses that it is now their privilege to care for her.

text: She has a very different nature from Sister Evangelina's and misses no opportunity to bait her. It is never entirely clear how much of Sister Monica Joan's eccentricity is due to the frailty of age, or (as Jenny and Sister Bernadette suspect) sheer wilful naughtiness. She has a habit of devouring all the cakes, leading everyone to try to hide them from her. She also knits woollen teddy bears and casts her horoscope in the stars and planets in order to tell her future. In the final episode of Series 1, after recovering from pneumonia, she is arrested for stealing trinkets from the market: some ribbons, a handkerchief, a china robin and several other things.

text: Later, she is suspected of stealing a ring, a bracelet and a pearl necklace, which were discovered by Jenny Lee; Sister Monica Joan then went to hide them in her knitting bag and they were found by Sister Evangelina and who called the constable. Mother Jesu Emanuel (Mother Superior of the order) testifies that Sister Monica Joan inherited those items from her mother and no crime was committed. In light of Monica Joan's age and moments of forgetfulness, she is acquitted of the trinket thefts. In Series 2, she reconciles with her nephew and his family, fears that she is useless, spends a lot of money on taxis to see her nephew, much to the chagrin of Sister Julienne, recovers from angina, escapes a holiday with Sister Evangelina to Chichester, judges a baby show, and pays for a child's funeral. Sister Monica Joan is very close to and gets on well with Jenny. In the 2015 Christmas special, she runs away from the convent after an argument with Sister Evangelina, returning to her childhood home with the belief that everyone should go back to their home, prompted by Barbara's comment that she wasn't allowed back to Liverpool for Christmas. She returns just in time for their appearance on the BBC.

text: Beatrix "Trixie" Franklin[edit]

text:
Beatrix "Trixie" Franklin

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Helen George

Duration
2012–

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Introduced by
Jennifer Worth

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Senior midwife and nurse

text: Trixie has a much more outgoing disposition than Jenny, but the two share the sense of adventure in their work and become firm friends. Trixie loves nothing more than gossiping with her colleagues and is quite nosey when it comes to other people's business.

text: She occasionally comes across as a bit rude, but she means no harm by it. When it comes to her friends, she takes great pleasure in teasing them about what is going on in their lives. She is caring but no-nonsense to her patients and is encouraging at hopeless times. She is light and carefree, jokes a lot, tries to set her colleagues up with boys and is generally a little boy-mad. Nevertheless, it is clear that work is first in her life, until Curate Tom Hereward proposes to her and she accepts. But their engagement breaks down when Trixie discovers that Tom has a placement in a slum in Newcastle, an industrial city in North East England. This makes her turn even more to alcohol for comfort, but after struggling with alcoholism, with Cynthia's help, she joins a support group. She shares a room with Nurse Patsy Mount.

text: Trixie's acceptance of male homosexuality is decades ahead of her time. Prior to the events of the series, she happily served as cover for a gay medical student, providing him the appearance of propriety. Her disgust of a young father arrested in a cottaging sting was entirely the result of his infidelity; with whom he cheated was immaterial to her.

text: Discovering that Barbara is going out with Tom gave her quite a shock and she finds it very difficult to accept, but after a talk with Tom and Barbara she finally accepts that she can no longer hold on to Tom and must let him go. She is now very close to Patsy, Delia, Barbara and Sister Mary Cynthia.

text: In January 1962, while seconded to a clinic in Africa and dozens of miles from a physician, Trixie becomes the only one of the midwives - lay or nuns - to have performed a cesarean section. She returns to Poplar a few months later as she stays on at the clinic returning via the Mother House, when it's realised that Sister Mary Cynthia has gone missing.

text: Later in 1962, she meets dentist Christopher Dockerill. When a turn of events leads to them delivering a baby, they grow close. But, later she suspects that she is being cheated on by Dockerhill, but learns that he actually has a child from a prior marriage, which he had not previously disclosed. She forgives him because he was scared to tell her fearing he would be rejected.

text: Shelagh Turner[edit]

text:
Shelagh Turner

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Laura Main

Duration
2012–

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Introduced by
Jennifer Worth

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Midwife and nurse (series 1–2, 4-), Medical Sister-in-charge (surgery) (Series 4-), nun, acting sister in charge (series 1–2), medical secretary (series 3–5), Senior midwife and nursing sister (Nonnatus House) (Series 7-)

[show]Family

Husband
Patrick Turner

Children
Timothy Turner
Angela Turner
Edward Teddy Turner[1]

text: Sister Bernadette, as she is first known, is Scottish and in her early 30s – the closest in age to Jenny and the other lay midwives. She is the most educated of the nuns and tutors the other nurses whilst providing administrative assistance to Sister Julienne, sometimes covering as her deputy. She joined the order in July, 1948. A consummate professional, she has a fresh, uncomplicated approach to her work that means she connects well with Jenny and her other colleagues. In one episode, she is shown to remove her veil, take her hair down and take off her glasses, expressing her hidden desire to be free.

text: In series 2, it becomes clear that Sister Bernadette is lonely and unhappy, questioning whether the convent is her calling, and wishes to do what the other young midwives of her age are doing: going out to the cinema, dancing, etc. One scene shows Sister Bernadette looking in on the midwives' room while they are drinking and gossiping, but then the door closes; it is a life that cannot be opened to her while she remains a nun. In another, Sister Monica Joan points out that she spends most of her time praying for forgiveness. Sister Bernadette eventually breaks down and turns to Sister Julienne for help, confessing that what she really wants is a family and children of her own. As of the 2012 Christmas Special and from Series 2 onward, it becomes clear that Sister Bernadette has fallen in love with the local physician, Dr Turner.

text: After recovering from a short bout of tuberculosis, Sister Bernadette leaves the convent and reverts to her birth name of Shelagh (née Mannion). She becomes engaged to Dr Turner, who has also fallen in love with her. They marry in the 2013 Christmas Special and she becomes stepmother to his 11-year-old son Timothy. They later adopt a baby girl called Angela after a struggle with infertility. However, she still remains close to her faith, joining the Nuns at compline. At times she is struggling, in series four it becomes clear Shelagh desperately misses her nursing and midwifery so she returns to full-time work at the surgery and maternity home, first as a medical secretary, and then also as the sister-in-charge at the surgery after Dr Turner is taken ill. She is now the medical sister-in-charge at the surgery and works alongside the other midwives and nuns at the surgery, but still doesn't perform house calls. When at the clinic or being the acting Sister-in-charge at Nonnatus House in Sister Julienne's absence, Shelagh dons smart civilian dress, rather than uniform of the order's other lay nurses, although she eventually obtained a uniform to wear when serving in a nursing capacity at Dr. Turner's surgery.

text: Shelagh also feels guilty after thalidomide is prescribed for women suffering from morning sickness. When it's linked to with birth deformities of the kind observed in recent months, she says she is as guilty as Patrick because she supported the drug being prescribed.

text: In series 6, Shelagh is overcome with joy when she falls pregnant with her first biological child. However, she suffers complications and is taken ill during an inspection of the maternity home and rushed to hospital fearing a miscarriage, forcing Barbara and Phyllis to take over the running of the surgery. This puts her pregnancy in jeopardy and even after she is released from hospital she could have still lost the baby.[2] But she gives birth to a son (Edward 'Teddy' Patrick Turner) with the help of Sister Julienne in the series finale.

text: After a year of materity leave Shelagh returns to Nonnatus House as senior midwife and nursing sister to cover for Barbara who is taken ill and eventually dies.

text: Sister Winifred[edit]

text:
Sister Winifred

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Victoria Yeates

Duration
2014–

First appearance
Series 3, Episode 1

Introduced by
Heidi Thomas

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Nun, midwife and nurse, former teacher (before 1959)

text: Sister Winifred arrives at Nonnatus House at the beginning of Series 3. Sister Winifred is the same age as Jenny, Trixie and Cynthia. She finds midwifery hard. She tries twice to make a harvest loaf for the Harvest Festival, stating 'my mother made it look so easy.' She eventually succeeds on the second attempt. She seems to be close to Patsy Mount. She is now close to Sister Mary Cynthia since she joined the order and is very passionate about her work in Poplar. In series 5 episode 3 it is revealed that Sister Winifred is missing teaching and takes a temporary job teaching a class replacing one of her patients who was fired due to pregnancy. In episode 4 she had returned to midwifery. She is seen to be close to Cynthia since she joined the order. In series 6 she sets about learning to drive with Phyllis' help.

text: Phyllis Crane[edit]

text:
Phyllis Crane

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Linda Bassett

Duration
2015–

First appearance
Series 4, Episode 2

Introduced by
Heidi Thomas

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Senior nurse, midwife, Deputy Sister-in-charge (medical)

text: Phyllis is a veteran nurse who also arrives at Nonnatus House in mid-1960. When she pulls up in her sparkling car everybody knows that she's going to be a tiny bit snobby and she is. She is vegetarian and is not scared to put her ideas forward to improve Nonnatus House. She confides in Vaughan Seller, the father of a terminated baby, that she was born an illegitimate child, and to former street walker Roseanne Dawley that Phyllis' mother too was a prostitute. In series 5 it is seen that she has formed more of a relationship with Barbara and has taken quite a high role in Nonnatus House. Having discovered Patsy and Delia's relationship, she is supportive of heartbroken Delia when Patsy sails to Hong Kong to care for her dying father.

text: She is also very close to her roommate, Barbara, and serves as something of a surrogate mother figure to her much younger colleague. In the sixth series after her return from Africa, Sister Julienne becomes Deputy Sister-in-Charge to Sister Ursula, meaning Phyllis is demoted to Nursing Sister. Although Sister Ursula leaves and Phyllis is reinstated as deputy sister in charge again.

text: Driving back from a successful delivery, Phyllis knocks over one of the family's other children with her car and is left devastated by the possible consequences. She faces suspension by the Central Midwives Board, over her actions and is told by Sister Julienne to focus on the administrative duties. But, the family ask Sergeant Noakes to drop the case.

text: When Shelagh is unwell and goes on maternity leave, it expected she will take over as acting sister in charge of the surgery. Following Patsy's departure she took over as a leader of the local Wolf Cub Scouts.

text: In Series 7, Phyllis nearly dies after a fire destroys a local shop.

text: Valerie Dyer[edit]

text:
Valerie Dyer

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Jennifer Kirby

Duration
2017–

First appearance
Series 6, Episode 2

Introduced by
Heidi Thomas

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Nurse, midwife

[show]Family

Aunts
Jean
Florrie

text: Valerie first appears following an explosion in Episode 2 of series 6 coming to the aid of Shelagh following a fire in the docks. She was an Army nurse, but resigned her commission when she grew weary of the routinness of such nursing. A native of Poplar, she took a barmaid job while sorting out her ambitions.

text: In episode 4, she becomes a midwife at the Nonnatus House. Sister Monica Joan somehow immediately recognises Valerie as having been a baby whom she delivered, reciting the details as if it had been yesterday. But it's a baptism of fire as Valerie is caught up with a woman who had FGM which creates difficulties for the pregnancy and the woman is rushed to hospital. Later she finds out the woman had sent her younger sister to be cut in Somalia and with Barbara rushes to stop the girl from boarding the boat. But it's too late.

text: Frederick "Fred" Buckle[edit]

text:
Fred Buckle

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Cliff Parisi

Duration
2012-

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Introduced by
Heidi Thomas

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Handyman, Scout Leader, Civil Defence Corps Deputy Party Leader

[show]Family

Wife
Mrs Buckle (deceased)
Violet Gee (1960-)

Daughters
Marlene Dooley
Dolly

Grandsons
Anthony

Granddaughters
Samantha

First cousins
Ivy Jackson

Other relatives
Reggie Jackson

text: Fred is the handyman at Nonnatus House since the end of the war.[3] In the evenings, he volunteers as a scout leader and as a deputy party leader[4] in charge of the neighbourhood Civil Defence Corps squad. He is friends with all of the midwives and often gives them help and advice. He's always got a new money-making scheme under his belt, but none of them is ever much good. Fred is the father of two daughters – Dolly, who lives in Australia with her husband and their two children, Anthony and Samantha; and Marlene, who is also married and has recently moved back to England after living in Canada for several years.

text: Before becoming the handyman at Nonnatus he was in the British Army, during which time his wife was killed leaving his daughters to be shuffled around between several of his family members, causing him great pain and temptation to desert. In series four, after twenty years of being a widower, Fred takes an interest in local shop owner Violet Gee; after several months of flirting during their community volunteering duties, Fred asks Violet to a charity dance. By the end of series four Fred proposes to Violet – and, after dealing with his clingy daughter Marlene – he and Violet marry.

text: Dr. Patrick Turner[edit]

text:
Patrick Turner

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Stephen McGann

Duration
2012–

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Introduced by
Jennifer Worth

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
General practitioner

[show]Family

Wife
Widowed
Shelagh Mannion (1958-)

Sons
Timothy Turner
Edward "Teddy" Turner[1]

Daughters
Angela Turner (adopted)

text: Dr Turner is Poplar's local physician, as well as being the GP to all the midwives and nuns. He works closely with the midwives, helping at clinics, deliveries and at the birthing hospital and is incredibly dedicated to his patients and to his work, including fighting bureaucratic red tape to save lives with a tuberculosis x-ray screening van. He is a widower and father to Timothy and does his best to juggle the demands of being a single parent with his responsibilities as a doctor. In Series 2, it becomes apparent that he has fallen in love with Sister Bernadette, but her vows stand in the way of that love. After her diagnosis with tuberculosis forces her to examine what she truly wants, he makes it quietly clear to her that while the decision is hers, he is in love with her and wishes to share his life with her. She leaves the convent and chooses a different path, accepting his proposal of marriage after she has overcome her tuberculosis.

text: When trying to adopt, it is revealed that he suffered mental health issues after the war. Overwork and a misdiagnosis in Series 4, drives him to illness forcing Shelagh and Patsy to take over the running of the practice. While in the next series the Turner's go on holiday, with a locom who puts a mother in danger. Also he had regularly prescribed thalidomid for women suffering from morning sickness. When it's linked to with birth deformities of the kind observed in recent months, he must deal with his guilt.

text: In series 6, Dr Turner is overcome with joy when Shelagh falls pregnant with her first biological child. However, she suffers complications and is taken ill during an inspection of the maternity home and rushed to hospital fearing a miscarriage. This puts her pregnancy in jeopardy and even after she is released from hospital she could have still lost the baby. But she gives birth to a son (Edward 'Teddy' Turner) with the help of Sister Julienne in the series finale, with Dr Turner in the room.

text: Tom Hereward[edit]

text:
Tom Hereward

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Jack Ashton

Duration
2014–

First appearance
Series 3

Introduced by
Jennifer Worth

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Curate

[show]Family

Wife
Barbara Gilbert (deceased) (1962-1963)

text: Tom arrives in series 3 as the new Poplar curate. He lives just across the road from Nonnatus House and is shown to have a relationship with Trixie, whom he met when the two were working the same shift in a women's prison. Their engagement is broken off in series 4. Now he is seen doing a lot with the children's group and is getting a bit closer to Nurse Barbara Gilbert. Tom asks Barbara to marry him while they are out in South Africa after consulting with his former fiancée Trixie. They are married in a hurried wedding at the end of series 6, when Barbara learns that her father has accepted a three year missionary posting in New Guinea, so he can marry them.

text: Sadly, Tom later becomes a widower after Barbara dies from meningococcal septicemia.

text: Lucille Anderson[edit]

text:
Lucille Anderson

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Leonie Elliott

Duration
2018–

First appearance
Series 7

Classification
Present; regular

Profile

Occupation
Nurse, midwife

text: Nurse Anderson arrives at Nonnatus House in series 7 as their first West Indian nurse.

text: Supporting characters[edit]

text: Timothy Turner[edit]

text:
Timothy Turner

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Max Macillan

Duration
2012–

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Introduced by
Jenny Worth

Classification
Present; recurring

Profile

Occupation
Student

[show]Family

Father
Patrick Turner

Mother
Shelagh Turner (step-mother)

text: Timothy is the son of Patrick Turner and stepson of Shelagh Turner. He is very smart and tall and goes to the local grammar school. In 2013 Christmas special he suffers from polio which affects his legs. He slowly recuperates and is now fully recovered. He is seen to have an interest in medicine, and in Series 5 he helps his mother and father out more in the surgery. Timothy sets off on a crusade to make his parents give up smoking after seeing the damage it's doing to their health. He is pleased when, in the following series, his stepmother gives birth to his brother.

text: Angela Turner[edit]

text:
Angela Turner

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Alice Brown

Duration
2014–

First appearance
Series 3, Episode 8

Introduced by
Heidi Thomas

Classification
Present; recurring

[show]Family

Father
Patrick Turner

Mother
Shelagh Turner

Brothers
Timothy Turner (half-brother), Edward "Teddy" Turner[1]

text: Angela is the adopted daughter of Shelagh and Patrick Turner. She is first seen in the series 3 finale and is briefly seen in series 4 and 5 usually with Shelagh, Patrick or Timothy. She was born to a 16-year-old mother, and was put up for adoption after birth, when the Turners adopted her. It is mentioned in the series that she has a fear of squirrels.

text: Edward Turner[edit]

text:
Edward Turner

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
TBC

Duration
2017–

First appearance
Series 6, Episode 8

Introduced by
Heidi Thomas

Classification
Present; recurring

[show]Family

Father
Patrick Turner

Mother
Shelagh Turner

text: Edward is the son of Shelagh and Patrick Turner, born in the final episode of series 6.

text: Violet Buckle[edit]

text:
Violet Buckle

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Annabelle Apsion

Duration
2015-

First appearance
Series 4, Episode 1

Introduced by
Heidi Thomas

Classification
Present; recurring

Profile

Occupation
Haberdashery owner, Girls' Brigade Leader

[show]Family

Husband
Bert Gee (deceased)
Fred Buckle (1960-)

text: Violet Buckle is the second wife of Fred Buckle. She owns her own haberdashery called Violet Gee. She has a son who lives in Plymouth. She also had a previous husband called Bert who was killed in the war like Fred's deceased wife. She volunteers as a uniformed leader of the local Girls' Brigade, replacing Patsy when she returns to Hong Kong.

text: Christopher Dockerill[edit]

text:
Christopher Dockerill

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Jack Hawkins

Duration
2017–

First appearance
Series 6, Episode 5

Classification
Present; recurring

Profile

Occupation
Dentist

[show]Family

Wife
Moira (divorced)

Daughters
Alexandra Dockerill

text: Introduced in Series 6 when Trixie escorts a patient to see him who has a fear of dentists. After carrying out work on the woman which brings on her labour while he is in theatre, Trixie is forced to deliver the baby with his assistance after the general anaesthetic brings on labour. Later Trixie believes he's seeing another woman after he cancels a number of dates, but he tells her he has been looking after his daughter from a previous marriage.

text: Previous characters[edit]

text: Nurse Jenny Lee[edit]

text:
Jenny Lee

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Jessica Raine
Vanessa Redgrave (mature)

Duration
2012–14

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Last appearance
Series 4, Episode 0

Introduced by
Herself

Classification
Former; regular

Profile

Occupation
Nurse, midwife, nursing sister (Series 3)

text: Nurse Jenny Lee arrives at Nonnatus House in 1957, at the age of 22, completely unaware of the world she is about to enter. Believing she has accepted a job with a small private hospital, she is somewhat surprised to find she's moving into a convent. Furthermore, the deprivation of the East End is a huge culture shock for the young woman who has enjoyed a privileged upbringing in the home counties and spent time in Paris before training as a nurse. However, although initially shocked by the conditions in which her patients live, Jenny comes to accept the material limitations of the world in which she works and to love the people who must live there.

text: She went to London to escape her forbidden love to a married man, Gerald. Her best friend Jimmy arrives and although he makes her feel more at ease, he also makes things more complicated by revealing that he's in love with her. She turns him down and they remain friends. She becomes good friends with all of her colleagues and patients and always tries to help those around her. Toward the end of Series 2 and halfway through Series 3, she starts dating Alec, a friend of Jimmy's. After Alec's death and her return to Nonnatus House after taking time off to grieve, Jenny decides to begin working at the London Hospital in the Maternity Ward although she leaves soon after, not liking the hospital's policy of requiring impersonal relationships between nurses and their patients.

text: At the end of Series 3, she meets Phillip Worth (her future husband), the cousin of an expectant mother for whom she is caring and begins a relationship with him. She eventually decides to pursue a career change to care for those with terminal illnesses; she leaves Nonnatus House to work at the Marie Curie Hospital in Hampstead. It is shown in the Series 3 Christmas Special that she eventually married Phillip and started a family, and still kept in contact with the friends she made at Nonnatus House.

text: Camilla "Chummy" Noakes (née Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne)[edit]

text:
Camilla "Chummy" Noakes

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Miranda Hart

Duration
2012–15

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 2

Last appearance
Series 4, Episode 8

Introduced by
Jennifer Worth

Classification
Former; regular

Profile

Occupation
Midwife and nurse, Matron Aston Lodge

[show]Family

Family
Peter Noakes (husband), Fred Noakes (son), Lady Browne (mother)

text: By the end of Series 1, after a string of dates she marries Police Constable Peter Noakes. After clinic, she swaps her nursing uniform for a scouting one, as Akela of the local Wolf Cubs whom she leads with Fred - a role later taken on by Patsy. In Series 2, Chummy applies for a place as a CMS missionary in Sierra Leone, Africa. She is accepted and she and Peter move to Africa for six months. Upon their return, Chummy reveals that she is pregnant, much to the delight of her fellow nurses. In the final episode of Series 2 Chummy goes into labour and, despite complications, she gives birth to a son, Fred. Chummy once stated that she had never been happier than when she was at Nonnatus House. In series 4 Chummy, Peter and Freddie move to Aston Lodge mother and baby home, where Chummy is employed as the temporary, replacement matron.

text: Sister Evangelina[edit]

text:
Sister Evangelina

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Pam Ferris

Duration
2012–16

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Last appearance
Series 5, Episode 8

Classification
Former; regular

Profile

Occupation
Nun, midwife and nurse

text: Sister Evangelina is the only one of the sisters who comes from the same tough, uncompromising background as the community they serve. Physically vigorous, she has a robust sense of humour. Her energy and drive make her extraordinarily effective at her job. However, she does not suffer fools gladly and her blunt speech and attitude often offend. She has a particularly contentious relationship with the aristocratic Sister Monica Joan, who often provokes her to breaking point. Growing up in poverty has toughened her up, making her a very comical character in the show.

text: Sister Evangelina knows a lot about the poverty and hardships in Poplar and often shares her insights with the young midwives. She is very close to Sister Julienne, to whom she often serves as a sounding board. In Series 3, it is revealed she has several siblings including an older brother who was killed on active service in a war and a younger brother, Vincent, who returns to her life after being absent for several years during her golden jubilee. It was seeing the birth of Vincent that inspired a young Sister Evangelina to become a nun during her formative years, a goal she achieved in 1909. In 1960 Sister Evangelina has to have an operation due to illness. Her pre-order name was Enid Atwood. In 1961, Sister Evangelina temporarily left Nonnatus House for an enclosed order. She returns in episode 7. She announces that she had a stroke 2 months after she left the convent and has now lost movement in her left arm. In episode 8, Sister Evangelina passes away following a second stroke.

text: Despite her gruff exterior and apparent lack of patience with others, she is deeply cherished and respected by not only her colleagues, but her Poplar community, a great many of whom she delivered—as evidenced by the masses who turned out to congratulate her on the occasion of her jubilee, and to pay their final respects two years later.

text: Sister Ursula[edit]

text:
Sister Ursula

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Harriet Walter

Duration
2017

First appearance
Series 6, Episode 1

Last appearance
Series 6, Episode 4

Classification
Former; recurring

Profile

Occupation
Sister-in-charge, nun, midwife and nurse

text: Sister Ursula arrives to replace Sister Julienne when she went to South Africa, as the new sister in charge in 1962. She appears to have a strict running form when the staff return following their return, clashing with Shelagh over the way clinic is run and the behaviour of Sister Monica Joan. Patsy and Delia appear to be keen for her to return to the mother house. She orders Sister Mary Cynthia to return to the mother house, before being informed of her sexual assault. She returns to the mother house after she is deemed unfit to run Nonnatus House.

text: Sister Mary Cynthia[edit]

text:
Sister Mary Cynthia

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Bryony Hannah

Duration
2012–17

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 1

Last appearance
Series 6, Episode 6

Introduced by
Jennifer Worth

Classification
Former; regular

Profile

Occupation
Nurse, midwife; later nun (series 4-)

text: Nurse Cynthia Miller, like Trixie, is also a resident at Nonnatus House when Jenny arrives. She volunteers as a uniformed leader of the local Girls' Brigade.

text: Cynthia is the most sensitive of the young midwives, and gets very emotionally involved with some of her patients.

text: In Series 2, when a child she delivers dies, the people of Poplar suspect her of making a mistake that cost the baby its life. Cynthia begins to doubt her abilities, which takes a heavy toll on her work and health. She suffers a breakdown, but recovers with the help of Sister Julienne. An autopsy report confirms that the baby's death was due to lungs that never fully inflated. In the 2014 Christmas Special, Cynthia decides to become a postulant and leaves Nonnatus House for six months of training, promising Trixie and Patsy that she will return. In Series 4, Cynthia returns to Nonnatus House after her training is complete, having chosen the religious name of Sister Mary Cynthia. Though she now spends less time with her friends, she remains close to Trixie and ultimately convinces her to get help for her alcoholism. She is also close with Sister Winfred and Barbara.

text: In series 5 episode 6 Sister Mary Cynthia is violently attacked at the docks by a man. She thinks it is a test of faith but with the help of Sister Monica Joan, she goes to the police, and is able to return to her own quiet, kind religious self. But when Sister Ursula asks about her life vows, it becomes clear that the attack is still affecting her. In series 6, Sister Mary Cynthia is sent to the Mother House by Sister Ursula.

text: When Trixie returns to Poplar from South Africa, it is realised that Sister Mary Cynthia has gone missing from the Mother House. She is found in an asylum where she has been admitted as a patient, but it is apparent that she isn't getting the help she needs. Dr Turner and Sister Julienne work to get her discharged into their care, and send her to a community for mental health care. She reverts to her birth name Cynthia.

text: Peter Noakes[edit]

text:
Peter Noakes

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Ben Caplan

Duration
2012–2017

First appearance
Series 1, Episode 2

Last appearance
Series 6, Episode 7

Introduced by
Jennifer Worth

Classification
Former; regular

Profile

Occupation
Police sergeant

text: Peter is a Police Constable, and later Sergeant, in Poplar. He is first introduced in Series 1, when he is run over by Chummy on her bicycle and takes an immediate shine to her. Throughout series 1, they go on a string of dates, eventually marrying in the series' final episode. In series 2, he follows Chummy to Sierra Leone while she fulfills her desire to be a missionary. In the final episode of that series, he and Chummy have a baby, whom they name Fred. During his service in the Second World War, he earned the 1939–1945 Star, Defence Medal, France and Germany Star, and War Medal 1939–1945, as shown on his uniform tunic.

text: Patience "Patsy" Mount[edit]

text:
Patience "Patsy" Mount

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Emerald Fennell

Duration
2013–17

First appearance
Series 2, Episode 3

Last appearance
Series 6, Episode 8

Introduced by
Heidi Thomas

Classification
Former; regular

Profile

Occupation
Midwife and nurse

text: Patsy is first seen in Series 2, episode 3, as a nurse in the male surgical ward at the London Hospital. She then appears in Series 3, Episode 5 as a new midwife. She is tall elegant and favours slightly tailored clothes and becoming the first midwife to wear trousers. She has a very brisk manner but later reveals that at the age of 9 that she and her mother and sister were sent to a Japanese war camp, and that she was the only one to survive of the three of them. Like Chummy before her, Patsy works with Fred as a leader of the local Wolf Cub Scouts; she recruits Delia to help teach first aid. It is then seen in Series 4 that she has a very close friendship with veteran Nurse Trixie and new Nurse Barbara. She is also quite close to Sister Mary Cynthia and Sister Winifred. Patsy is seen to have a very close and romantic relationship with female surgical Nurse Delia Busby, with whom she had previously worked at the London. They plan to move into a flat together at the end of Series 4, but their future is shattered when Delia is involved in a cycling accident and suffers a serious head injury which results in amnesia, leaving her with no memory of Patsy. The amnesia is only temporary however and Patsy and Delia are reunited in Series 5 when Delia accepts an offer from Sister Julienne to live at Nonnatus House. Later in Series 5 Patsy and Delia go to the Gateways Club, a private club for lesbians. It is revealed in the Series 5 finale that Patsy and Delia are going to Paris together in Spring 1962. She shares a room with Nurse Trixie, replacing Jenny Lee. Series 6, sees her temporarily leave Nonnatus House after learning her father is dying in Hong Kong. Delia is upset that she can't go with her as support, as she is training to be a midwife. Following her father's death Patsy seemed to drop all correspondence with Delia, and it looked like she wouldn't return to Nonnatus House, but she came back to London on the day of Tom and Barbara's wedding.

text: Delia Busby[edit]

text:
Delia Busby

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Kate Lamb

Duration
2015–17

First appearance
Series 4, Episode 2

Last appearance
Series 6, Episode 8

Classification
Former; regular

Profile

Occupation
Staff nurse at the London (until 1961), trainee midwife, nurse, St John Ambulance volunteer

text: Originally from Wales, Delia is a very close friend of Patsy's, having worked together in the London Hospital's male surgical ward. She resides in the hospital's nurses home,[5] and volunteers evenings for St John Ambulance. In her St John capacity, she works with Patsy's and Fred's scouts, principally teaching them first aid. She is revealed to be in a romantic relationship with Patsy, but together they conceal their feelings due to society's view of homosexuality at the time. At the end of Series 4, just as the two of them have found a flat to share, she is involved in a cycling accident which leaves her with amnesia, leaving Patsy heartbroken. By the following Christmas, she has regained her memories of Patsy and their relationship, and at the start of Series 5, despite continued efforts from her mother to take her home to Wales, Delia accepts Sister Julienne's invitation to board at Nonnatus House when she returns to work at the London in the coming months. By the end of series 5, she appears to be quite close to Trixie and Barbara, and is delighted when Trixie confides in her that she attends Alcoholics Anonymous each week.

text: In the final episode of series five Busby considers additional training as a midwife after successfully talking a young mother through her delivery over the telephone earlier in the series. Busby undertakes training in the following series.

text: Barbara Hereward (neé Gilbert)[edit]

text:
Barbara Hereward

Call The Midwife character

Portrayed by
Charlotte Ritchie

Duration
2015–2018

First appearance
Series 4, Episode 1

Last appearance
Series 7, Episode 7

Introduced by
Heidi Thomas

Classification
Former; regular

Profile

Occupation
Midwife and nurse

[show]Family

Father
Canon Arthur Gilbert

Sisters
Margaret

Husband
Tom Hereward (1962-1963)

text: Barbara Gilbert arrived in Poplar in the early 1960s still finding her feet in district nursing and midwifery. While she was educated and middle class, she was surprisingly in tune with the needs of the community she serves, having grown up the daughter of a Canon serving in an impoverished area of Liverpool. She was hard working, optimistic, and somewhat naïve. In addition to her nursing duties, she helped teach Sunday school at the local church. In series 5 she began a romantic relationship with Tom Hereward after they become close while working together in the parish. She was also quite close to her roommate, Nurse Phyllis Crane, who served as something of a surrogate mother figure to her much younger colleague. Tom asked her to marry him while they are out in South Africa after consulting with his former fiancée Trixie. They were married in a hurried wedding at the end of series 6, after Barbara learned that her father has accepted a three year missionary posting in New Guinea. In Series 7, Barbara dies after contracting meningococcal septicemia, leaving Tom, Nonnatus House and the rest of the Poplar community heartbroken and shattered.

text: Previous recurring characters[edit]

text: George Rainsford as James "Jimmy" Wilson (Series 1–2)

tag: ul

text: Jimmy is an old friend of Jenny's. In Series 1, Jimmy is madly in love with Jenny, even though she still pines for the married man, the reason she escaped to London. Jenny convinces Jimmy they are "just friends" and he stops pursuing her. In Series 2, the tables are turned when Jimmy returns, having graduated school and now working as a municipal surveyor/architect. Jenny sees Jimmy as a grown man for the first time which instantly turns her head, but unfortunately she discovers that Jimmy is engaged to pregnant Francine, whom Jenny met at the prenatal clinic. Jimmy and Francine marry and have a baby, Caroline.

text: Dorothy Atkinson as Jane Sutton (Series 2)

text: Jane is the medical orderly at Nonnatus House. She arrives to fill in for Chummy while she's in Africa. Jane is very shy and does not talk unless it is necessary. We later find out the reason for her being shy – her parents sent her to an asylum when she was young, leaving her with no self-esteem. Throughout the series, she grows in confidence and makes friends with her fellow nurses. She also finds love with Reverend Applebee-Thornton (Jason Watkins), a local Anglican priest. She does not return for Series 3, with a deleted scene from the 2013 Christmas special explaining that she has gone to nursing school.

text: Leo Staar as Alec Jesmond (Series 2–3)

text: Alec is a friend of Jimmy's who develops romantic feelings for Jenny. They eventually start dating after a long period in which Jenny continues to mourn her loss of Jimmy, but who encourages her to enjoy life and Alec. Alec and Jenny eventually date, but Jenny's abundant caution about affairs of the heart lead to a misunderstanding and argument. Castigating his co-worker in anger, Alec falls through an old staircase in the building they are renovating. In the hospital, his foot is amputated and he seems to be recovering. He later dies, thought to be because of a blood clot in his wounded leg, and his funeral is attended by a distraught Jenny and the other midwives and the nuns.

text: Cheryl Campbell as Lady Browne, Chummy's mother (Series 1, Series 3)

text: Lady Browne is Chummy's upper-class, snobby mother. She formerly lived in Madeira before she separated from Chummy's father. When she moved to Poplar she was diagnosed with TB and Cancer. In series 1 she was featured in the series finale before Chummy and Peter's wedding. She moved to Poplar in 1959 and was diagnosed with TB and cancer by Dr. Turner. She died peacefully in Chummy and Peter's bed in the series 3 finale.

text: Maxine Evans as Mrs. Busby, Delia's mother (Series 4–5)

text: Mrs. Busby is the mother of Delia Busby. Her first appearance was when Delia was in hospital with was the series finale of series 4, she was also seen in 1960 Christmas special, series 5, episode 1 and the series finale of series 5. She is still not happy that Delia has decided to stay in Poplar at the convent. She also seems not to accept her decision to become a midwife and doesn't really like Patsy. It is clear that, by the end of series 5, she is aware of Delia's and Patsy's sexual relationship and does not approve.


document_title: Rationing in the United Kingdom

question_text: what was the last thing to be rationed in the uk

text: Rationing in the United Kingdom

text: First World War

text: In line with its business as usual policy during the First World War, the government was initially reluctant to try to control the food markets.[4] It fought off attempts to introduce minimum prices in cereal production, though relenting in the area of control of essential imports (sugar, meat, and grains). When it did introduce changes, they were limited. In 1916, it became illegal to consume more than two courses while lunching in a public eating place or more than three for dinner; fines were introduced for members of the public found feeding the pigeons or stray animals.[5]

text: In January 1917, Germany started unrestricted submarine warfare to try to starve Britain into submission. To meet this threat, voluntary rationing was introduced in February 1917. Bread was subsidised from September that year; prompted by local authorities taking matters into their own hands, compulsory rationing was introduced in stages between December 1917 and February 1918 as Britain's supply of wheat decreased to just six weeks' worth.[6] To help the process, ration books were introduced in July 1918 for butter, margarine, lard, meat, and sugar.[7] For the most part, rationing benefited the health of the country. During the war, average energy intake decreased by only 3%, but protein intake by 6%.[8]

text: The general strike

text: The government made preparations to ration food in 1925, in advance of an expected general strike, and appointed Food Control Officers for each region. In the event, the Trades Unions of the London docks organized blockades by crowds, but convoys of lorries under military escort took the heart out of the strike, so that the measures did not have to be implemented.[9]

text: Second World War

text: After the Second World War began in September 1939 the first commodity to be controlled was petrol. On 8 January 1940 bacon, butter and sugar were rationed. This was followed by successive ration schemes for meat, tea, jam, biscuits, breakfast cereals, cheese, eggs, lard, milk, and canned and dried fruit. In June 1942 the Combined Food Board was set up to coordinate the world supply of food to the Allies, with special attention to flows from the U.S. and Canada to Britain. Almost all foods apart from vegetables and bread were rationed by August 1942. Strict rationing inevitably created a black market. Almost all controlled items were rationed by weight but meat was rationed by price.

text: Fresh vegetables and fruit were not rationed but supplies were limited. Some types of imported fruit all but disappeared. Lemons and bananas became unobtainable for most of the war; oranges continued to be sold but greengrocers customarily reserved them for children and pregnant women, who could prove their status by producing their distinctive ration books. Other domestically grown fruit such as apples still appeared from time to time, but again the sellers imposed their own restrictions so that customers were often not allowed to buy, for example, more than one apple each. Many people grew their own vegetables, greatly encouraged by the highly successful "Dig for Victory" motivational campaign. In 1942 numerous children between five and seven years old had become used to wartime restrictions. When questioned about bananas, many did not believe such items existed.[10] Game meat such as rabbit and pigeon were not rationed but were not always available. A popular music-hall song, written 20 years previously but sung ironically, was "Yes! We Have No Bananas".[citation needed] During the food rationing, British biologists ate laboratory rat.[11][12][13][14][15][16]

text: Most controversial was bread; it was not rationed until after the war ended, but the "national loaf" of wholemeal bread replaced the ordinary white variety, to the distaste of most housewives who found it mushy, grey and easy to blame for digestion problems.[17] In May 1942, an order was passed that meals served in hotels and restaurants must not cost over 5 shillings per customer, must not be of more than three courses, and at most one course could contain meat, fish or poultry. This was partly in response to increasing public concerns that "luxury" off-ration foodstuffs were being unfairly obtained by those who could afford to dine regularly in restaurants.[18]

text: Fish was not rationed, but prices increased considerably as the war progressed. The government initially allowed this, since it realised that fishermen would need to be able to collect a premium for their catch if they were at risk of enemy attack while at sea, but prices were controlled from 1941.[19] Like other non-rationed items, fish was rarely freely available, as supplies dropped to 30% of pre-war levels,[19] and long queues built up at fishmongers and fish and chip shops. The quality of wartime chips was often felt to be below standard, because of the low-quality fat available.

text: As the war progressed rationing was extended to other commodities such as clothing. Clothing was rationed on a points system. When it was introduced, on 1 June 1941, no clothing coupons had been issued, and at first the unused margarine coupons in ration books were valid for clothing. Initially the allowance was for about one new outfit per year; as the war progressed the points were reduced, until buying a coat used almost a year's clothing coupons. On 1 July 1942 the basic civilian petrol ration was abolished; this had been announced on 13 March 1942.[20] (Ivor Novello was a British public figure sent to prison for four weeks for misusing petrol coupons.) After that, vehicle fuel was only available to official users, such as the emergency services, bus companies and farmers. The priority users of fuel were always, of course, the armed forces. Fuel supplied to approved users was dyed, and use of this fuel for non-essential purposes was an offence.

text: Certain foodstuffs that the 1940s British consumer would find unusual, for example whale meat and canned snoek fish from South Africa, were not rationed. Despite this they did not prove popular.[2][21]

text: In addition to rationing, the government equalized the food supply through subsidies on items consumed by the poor and the working class. In 1942–43, £145 million was spent on food subsidies, including £35 million on bread, flour and oatmeal, £23  million on meat and the same on potatoes, £11 million on milk, and £13 million on eggs.[22]

text: Public catering

text: Restaurants were initially exempt from rationing but this was resented, as people with more money could supplement their food rations by eating out frequently. The Ministry of Food in May 1942 issued new restrictions on restaurants:[23]

text:
Meals were limited to three courses; only one component dish could contain fish or game or poultry (but not more than one of these)
In general no meals could be served between 11:00 p.m. (midnight in London) and 5:00 a.m. without a special licence
The maximum price of a meal was 5 shillings, with extra charges allowed for cabaret shows and luxury hotels.

text: About 2,000 new wartime establishments called British Restaurants were run by local authorities in schools and church halls. Here a plain three-course meal cost only 9d and no ration coupons were required. They evolved from the London County Council's Londoners' Meals Service, which began as an emergency system for feeding people who had been blitzed out of their homes. They were open to all and mostly served office and industrial workers.[24][25]

text: Health effects

text: In December 1939 Elsie Widdowson and Robert McCance of the University of Cambridge tested whether the United Kingdom could survive with only domestic food production if U-boats ended all imports. Using 1938 food production data, they fed themselves and other volunteers one egg, one pound of meat and four ounces of fish a week; one quarter pint (0.14 litre) of milk a day; four ounces of margarine; and unlimited amounts of potatoes, vegetables and wholemeal bread. Two weeks of intensive outdoor exercise simulated the strenuous wartime physical work Britons would likely have to perform. The scientists found that the subjects' health and performance remained very good after three months; the only negative results were the increased time needed for meals to consume the necessary calories from bread and potatoes, and what they described as a "remarkable" increase in flatulence from the large amount of starch in the diet. The scientists also noted that their faeces had increased by 250% in volume.[26]

text: The results—kept secret until after the war—gave the government confidence that, if necessary, food could be distributed equally to all, including high-value war workers, without causing widespread health problems. Britons' actual wartime diet was never as severe as in the Cambridge study because imports from the United States avoided the U-boats,[26] but rationing improved the health of British people; infant mortality declined and life expectancy rose, excluding deaths caused by hostilities. This was because it ensured that everyone had access to a varied diet with enough vitamins.[25][27]

text: Standard rationing during the Second World War

text: The standard rations during the Second World War were as follows. Quantities are per week unless otherwise stated.[28]

text: Food rations

text:
Item
Maximum level
Minimum level
April 1945

Bacon and ham
8 oz (227 g)
4 oz (113 g)
4 oz (113 g)

Sugar
16 oz (454 g)
8 oz (227 g)
8 oz (227 g)

Loose tea
4 oz (113 g)
2 oz (57 g)
2 oz (57 g)

Meat
1 s. 2d.
1s
1s. 2d. (equivalent to £2.31 in 2016)[a 1]

Cheese
8 oz (227 g)
1 oz (28 g)
2 oz (57 g)
Vegetarians were allowed an extra 3 oz (85 g) cheese[29]

Preserves
1 lb (0.45 kg) per month
2 lb (0.91 kg) marmalade
8 oz (227 g) per month
2 lb (0.91 kg) marmalade
or 1 lb (0.45 kg) preserve
or 1 lb (0.45 kg) sugar

Butter
8 oz (227 g)
2 oz (57 g)
2 oz (57 g)

Margarine
12 oz (340 g)
4 oz (113 g)
4 oz (113 g)

Lard
3 oz (85 g)
2 oz (57 g)
2 oz (57 g)

Sweets
16 oz (454 g) per month
8 oz (227 g) per month
12 oz (340 g) per month

text: Army and Merchant Navy rations

text:
Item
Army Rations Home Service Scale
Seamen on weekly articles

Men
Women

Meat
5 lb 4 oz (2.4 kg)
2 lb 10 oz (1.2 kg)
2 lb 3 oz (0.99 kg)

Bacon and ham
(uncooked, free of bone)
8 oz (230 g)
9 oz (260 g)
8 oz (230 g)

Butter and margarine
13 1⁄4 oz (380 g) (in any proportions of butter and margarine)
10 1⁄2 oz (300 g) (margarine only)
10 1⁄2 oz (300 g)
(not more than 3 1⁄2 oz (99 g) butter)

Cheese
4 oz (110 g)
4 oz (110 g)
4 oz (110 g)

Cooking fats
2 oz (57 g) (may be taken in the form of margarine)
-
-

Sugar
1 lb 14 oz (850 g)
14 oz (400 g)
14 oz (400 g)

Tea
4 oz (110 g)
2 oz (57 g)
2 oz (57 g))

Preserves

8 oz (230 g) jam
2 oz (57 g) syrup
(10 1⁄2 oz (300 g) for boys and young soldiers battalions)
(jam, marmalade or syrup)

7 oz (200 g)
jam, marmalade or syrup)
10 1⁄2 oz (300 g)
(jam, marmalade, syrup)

text: 1s 2d bought about 1 lb 3 oz (540 g) of meat. Offal and sausages were only rationed from 1942 to 1944. When sausages were not rationed, the meat needed to make them was so scarce that they often contained a high proportion of bread. Eggs were rationed and "allocated to ordinary consumers as available"; in 1944 thirty allocations of one egg each were made. Children and some invalids were allowed three a week; expectant mothers two on each allocation.

text:
1 egg per week or 1 packet (makes 12 ersatz eggs) of egg powder per month (vegetarians were allowed two eggs)
plus, 24 points for four weeks for tinned and dried food.

text: Arrangements were made for vegetarians so that other goods were substituted for their rations of meat.[29]

text: Milk was supplied at 3 imp pt (1.7 l) each week with priority for expectant mothers and children under 5; 3.5 imp pt (2.0 l) for those under 18; children unable to attend school 5 imp pt (2.8 l), certain invalids up to 14 imp pt (8.0 l). Each consumer received one tin of milk powder (equivalent to 8 imperial pints or 4.5 litres) every eight weeks.[32]

text: Special civilian rations

text: Persons falling within the following descriptions were allowed 8 oz (230 g) of cheese a week in place of the general ration of 3 oz (85 g):

text:
vegetarians (meat and bacon coupons must be surrendered)
underground mine workers
agricultural workers holding unemployment insurance books or cards bearing stamps marked "Agriculture"
county roadmen
forestry workers (including fellers and hauliers)
land drainage workers (including Catchment Board workers)
members of the Auxiliary Force of the Women's Land Army[31]
railway train crews (including crews of shunting engines but not including dining car staffs)
railway signalmen and permanent way men who have not access to canteen facilities
certain types of agricultural industry workers (workers employed on threshing machines, tractor workers who are not included in the Agricultural Unemployment Insurance Stamp Scheme, hay pressers and trussers).

text: Weekly supplementary allowances of rationed foods for invalids

text:
Disease
Food
supplementary
allowance
Quantity
Coupons to be
surrendered

Diabetes
Butter and margarine
12 oz (340 g) (not more than 4 oz (110 g) butter)
Sugar

Diabetes
Meat
2s. 4d., adult 1s, 2d., child under six
Sugar

Diabetes—vegetarians only
Cheese
8 oz (230 g)
Sugar

Hypoglycaemia
Sugar
16 oz (450 g)
-

Steatorrhoea
Meat
4s. 8d. adult, 2s. 4d. child under six
Butter and margarine

Nephritis with gross
albuminuria and gross oedema,
also nephrosis
Meat
3s. 6d. adult, 1s. 9d. child under six

text: Non-food rations

text: Clothing

text: There were 66 points for clothing per year; in 1942 it was cut to 48, in 1943 to 36, and in 1945 to 24. In 1945, an overcoat (wool and fully lined) was 18 coupons; a man's suit, 26–29 (according to lining); men's shoes, 9; women's shoes, 7; woollen dresses, 11. Children aged 14–16 got 20 more coupons. Clothing rationing points could be used for wool, cotton and household textiles. People had extra points for work clothes, such as overalls for factory work.[33] No points were required for second-hand clothing or fur coats, but their prices were fixed. Before rationing lace and frills were popular on knickers but these were soon banned so that material could be saved. From March to May 1942 austerity measures were introduced which restricted the number of buttons, pockets and pleats (among other things) on clothes.[34]

text: Clothes rationing ended on 15 March 1949.

text: Soap

text: All types of soap were rationed. Coupons were allotted by weight or (if liquid) by quantity. In 1945, the ration gave four coupons each month; babies and some workers and invalids were allowed more.[34] A coupon would yield:

text:
4 oz (113 g) bar hard soap
3 oz (85 g) bar toilet soap
1⁄2 oz (14 g) No. 1 liquid soap
6 oz (170 g) soft soap
3 oz (85 g) soap flakes
6 oz (170 g) powdered soap

text: Fuel

text: The Fuel and Lighting (Coal) Order 1941 came into force in January 1942. Central heating was prohibited "in the summer months".[34] Domestic coal was rationed to 15 long hundredweight (1,680 lb; 762.0 kg) for those in London and the south of England; 20 long hundredweight (2,240 lb; 1,016 kg) for the rest (the southern part of England having generally a milder climate).[34] Some kinds of coal such as anthracite were not rationed, and in the coal-mining areas were eagerly gathered as they were in the Great Depression (see The Road to Wigan Pier).

text: Paper

text: Newspapers were limited from September 1939, at first to 60% of their pre-war consumption of newsprint. Paper supply came under the No 48 Paper Control Order, 4 September 1942 and was controlled by the Ministry of Production. By 1945 newspapers were limited to 25% of their pre-war consumption. Wrapping paper for most goods was prohibited.[35]

text: The paper shortage often made it more difficult than usual for authors to get work published. In 1944, George Orwell wrote:

text: In Mr Stanley Unwin's recent pamphlet Publishing in Peace and War, some interesting facts are given about the quantities of paper allotted by the Government for various purposes. Here are the present figures:

text:
Newspapers
250,000 tons

H. M. Stationery Office
100,000 tons

Periodicals
(nearly) 50,000 tons

Books
22,000 tons

text: A particularly interesting detail is that out of the 100,000 tons allotted to the Stationery Office, the War Office gets no less than 25,000 tons, or more than the whole of the book trade put together. ... At the same time paper for books is so short that even the most hackneyed "classic" is liable to be out of print, many schools are short of textbooks, new writers get no chance to start and even established writers have to expect a gap of a year or two years between finishing a book and seeing it published.

text: Other products

text: Whether rationed or not, many consumer goods became difficult to obtain because of the shortage of components. Examples included razor blades, baby bottles, alarm clocks, frying pans and pots. Balloons and sugar for cakes for birthday parties were partially or completely unavailable. Many fathers saved bits of wood to build toys for Christmas presents,[38] and Christmas trees were almost impossible to obtain due to timber rationing.[39]

text: Post-Second World War

text: On 8 May 1945, the Second World War ended in Europe, but rationing continued. Some aspects of rationing became stricter for some years after the war. At the time this was presented as needed to feed people in European areas under British control, whose economies had been devastated by the fighting.[2] This was partly true, but with many British men still mobilised in the armed forces, an austere economic climate, and a centrally-planned economy under the post-war Labour government, resources were not available to expand food production and food imports. Frequent strikes by some workers (most critically dock workers) made things worse.[2] A common ration book fraud was the ration books of the dead being kept and used by the living.[20]

text: Political reaction

text: In the late 1940s the Conservative Party exploited and incited growing public anger at rationing, scarcity, controls, austerity and government bureaucracy. They used the dissatisfaction with the socialistic and egalitarian policies of the Labour Party to rally middle-class supporters and build a political comeback that won the 1951 general election. Their appeal was especially effective to housewives, who faced more difficult shopping conditions after the war than during it.[40]

text: Timeline

text:
27 May 1945: Bacon ration cut from 4 to 3 ounces/week. Cooking fat ration cut from 2 to 1 ounces/week. Soap ration cut by an eighth, except for babies and young children.[41] The referenced newspaper article predicted that households would be grossly hampered in making food items that included pastry.
1 June 1945: The basic petrol ration for civilians was restored.[20]
19 July 1945: In order to preserve the egalitarian nature of rationing, gift food parcels from overseas weighing more than 5 lb (2.3 kg) would be deducted from the recipient's ration.
Summer 1946: Continual rain ruined Britain's wheat crop. Bread rationing started.
January–March 1947: Winter of 1946–1947 in the United Kingdom: long hard frost and deep snow. Frost destroyed a huge amount of stored potatoes. Potato rationing started.
Mid-1947: A transport and dock strike, which among other effects caused much loss of imported meat left to rot on the docks, until the Army broke the strike. The basic petrol ration was stopped.[20]
1 June 1948: The Motor Spirit (Regulation) Act 1948 was passed,[42] ordering a red dye to be to put into some petrol, and that red petrol was only allowed to be used in commercial vehicles. A private car driver could lose his driving licence for a year if red petrol was found in his car. A petrol station could be shut down if it sold red petrol to a private car driver. See List of Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, 1940–1959: 1948.
June 1948: The basic petrol ration was restored, at a third of its previous size.
1948: Bread came off ration.
May 1949: Clothes rationing ended. According to one author,[20] this was because attempts to enforce it were defeated by continual massive illegality (black market, unofficial trade in loose clothing coupons (many forged), bulk thefts of unissued clothes ration books).
23 February 1950: The 1950 general election is fought largely on the issue of rationing. The Conservative Party campaigned on a manifesto of ending rationing as quickly as possible.[2] The Labour Party argued for the continuation of rationing indefinitely. Labour was returned, but with its majority badly slashed to 5 seats.
26 May 1950: Petrol rationing ended.[43]
25 October 1951: United Kingdom general election, 1951. The Conservatives came back into power.
February 1953: Confectionery rationing ended.
September 1953: Sugar rationing ended.
4 July 1954: Meat and all other food rationing ended in Britain.[44]

text: Although rationing formally ended in 1954, cheese production remained depressed for decades afterwards. During rationing, most milk in Britain was used to make one kind of cheese, nicknamed Government Cheddar (not to be confused with the government cheese issued by the US welfare system).[45] This wiped out nearly all other cheese production in the country, and some indigenous varieties of cheese almost disappeared.[45] Later government controls on milk prices through the Milk Marketing Board continued to discourage production of other varieties of cheese until well into the 1980s,[46] and it was only in the mid-1990s (following the effective abolition of the MMB) that the revival of the British cheese industry began in earnest.

text: Suez Crisis

text: Petrol rationing was briefly reintroduced in late 1956 during the Suez Crisis but ended again on 14 May 1957.[47] Advertising of petrol on the recently introduced ITV was banned for a period.

text: 1970s oil crises

text: Petrol coupons were issued for a short time as preparation for the possibility of petrol rationing during the 1973 oil crisis. The rationing never came about, in large part because increasing North Sea oil production allowed the UK to offset much of the lost imports. By the time of the 1979 energy crisis, the United Kingdom had become a net exporter of oil, so on that occasion the government did not even have to consider petrol rationing.