Waste Into Weapons: Recycling in Britain during the Second World War

Description

During the Second World War, the United Kingdom faced severe shortages of many essential raw materials. To keep its armaments factories running, the British government enlisted millions of people in efforts to recycle a wide range of materials for use in munitions production. Recycling not only supplied British munitions factories with much-needed raw materials - it also played a key role in the efforts of the British government to maintain the morale of its citizens, to secure billions of dollars in Lend-Lease aid from the United States, and even to uncover foreign intelligence. However, Britain's wartime recycling campaign came at a cost: it consumed many items that would never have been destroyed under normal circumstances, including significant parts of the nation's cultural heritage. Based on extensive archival research, Peter Thorsheim examines the relationship between armaments production, civil liberties, cultural preservation, and diplomacy, making Waste into Weapons the first in-depth history of twentieth-century recycling in Britain. "An important contribution to our understanding of total war. This is a vivid and original account of the shifts and expedients of warfare as they interacted with the voracious demands of a war economy. This study deserves attention." Jeremy Black, University of Exeter "Waste into Weapons is a novel study. Historians have not given due attention to the important role of preserving resources in wartime, which speaks both to the urgency of the war and the kind of sacrifices expected from the citizenry. But as Peter Thorsheim pointedly reminds us, there was an 'urge to destroy' parts of the material culture that transcended the patriotic duty of winning the war. This is a book that brings together the materiality and culture of the war like few others." Martin V. Melosi, author of The Sanitary City "This is an excellent book. Salvage collection and recycling during the Second World War made a major contribution to the British war effort, and at last we have a full history. Based on extensive research in many archives, Thorsheim finally gives this unique episode in the history of recycling the attention it deserves. The analysis ranges from the strategic and diplomatic to the economic and psychological, providing new insight into the efforts made to secure scrap metal; the sacrifice of historical artifacts, books, and documents; and women's and children's contributions as salvage collectors." Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska, University of Illinois, Chicago 'This book is written in a lively and accessible way. It reveals that there is still much to learn about this conflict. Aside from being a key text on recycling and salvage in wartime, this book, owing to the breadth and depth in which topics such as the home front, women and Britain's international relations are examined, is likely to become essential reading for scholars and general readers alike, interested in the complex nature of the Second World War.' Mark J. Crowley, Twentieth Century British History 'Waste into Weapons is a timely and insightful addition to the growing literature on waste and recycling. Thorsheim's meticulous research has amply demonstrated the paradox of the Second World War - that Britons were encouraged and ordered to conserve and recycle in order that the war effort could destroy. Waste into Weapons reveals the militarization of everyday life that redefined rubbish and that destroyed historical artifacts, buildings, and manuscripts. It speaks to the power of propaganda but also to the limits of coercion. This is a must-read for historians of war, the environment, consumption, and waste. Thorsheim's work is a valuable addition to the literature and is also evidence that the Second World War remains a fruitful field of study. Sandra Dawson, H-War 'Waste into Weapons is a very good book that will appeal to scholars and general audiences interested in military history, environmental history, waste management, material culture, and heritage conservation.' Alex Souchen, Canadian Military History Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Dedication......Page 4 Series information......Page 5 Title page......Page 7 Copyright information......Page 8 Table of contents......Page 9 List of Figures......Page 10 List of Tables......Page 11 Acknowledgments......Page 13 Introduction......Page 17 Part I Beating Plowshares into Swords......Page 27 1 Salvage in Times of Peace and War......Page 29 The Great War......Page 31 Salvage between the Wars......Page 38 2 Persuasion and Its Limits......Page 50 The Salvage Department......Page 58 The Norwegian Campaign......Page 63 3 Britain’s Darkest Hour......Page 70 Herbert Morrison and the Ministry of Supply......Page 72 Up, Housewives!......Page 73 Saucepans into Spitfires......Page 82 Kitchen Waste......Page 86 4 Private Enterprise and the Public Good......Page 91 Children and Salvage......Page 102 Propaganda......Page 106 Part II Alliances......Page 115 5 Lend-Lease......Page 117 Harriman......Page 120 Barbarossa......Page 131 Stettinius......Page 135 Pearl Harbor......Page 140 6 Waste Becomes a Crime......Page 148 Stettinius Visits Britain......Page 150 Nonferrous Metals......Page 159 Empire......Page 165 Part III History, Culture, and Civil Liberties......Page 173 7 The Built Environment......Page 175 Historical Artifacts......Page 176 Iron Railings......Page 181 Blitz Scrap......Page 189 8 Wasting Paper......Page 196 Promoting Salvage......Page 206 Books and Records as Intelligence Sources......Page 213 Loss......Page 215 9 Requisition......Page 218 Appeals and Complaints......Page 231 Unintended Consequences......Page 244 10 Victory and Postwar......Page 248 Conscience......Page 249 Tin Cans......Page 254 Peace and Penury......Page 258 German Scrap......Page 263 Railings......Page 267 The End of an Era......Page 269 Conclusion......Page 272 East Sussex Record Office, Brighton......Page 279 National Archives of England, Wales, and the United Kingdom, Kew (NA)......Page 280 Oral History......Page 281 Contemporary Publications......Page 282 Later Publications......Page 288 Index......Page 295 Series list......Page 306