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Petrol rationing

Astoness

TRUE BRUMMIE MODERATOR
Staff member
queuing for petrol during rationing....date 1939...sorry no location on this one...

pic courtesy of carl chinn

lyn
 

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Dek

I don't think they were ever actually used, except for a few queues and some shortages not much came of it. The garage I used closed to everybody save those with accounts. As I had an account I had no trouble getting petrol.

Phil
 
In 1973 I worked for a national newsagents supervising their Sub-Post Offices, we issued thousands of petrol coupons across the country, we had to see the car log book and date stamp it to prevent someone trying to get more than one issue of coupons. It created a lot of extra work at the counters, but the Post Office paid the company for each one issued, so the staff were happy, we paid them a bonus.
One office (not in Birmingham) was approached by a couple of gentlemen offering cash for any that may have gone missing, they were arrested later that day at another office, when they tried the same trick.

Colin
 
Dek

Because we ran HGV's we had quite a few ration/token books. When I was clearing out our files when we sold out I found them again. I rather stupidly burnt them in the incinerator with all our old files. Perhaps I should have kept them.

Phil
 
The Police Force I belonged to issued my petrol coupon book. I remember filling in a questionare for it. The local petrol retailer was limiting the public to 2 gallons at a time but put the word round that any policeman could have more. At the time I was ( Ahem) having a relationship with a lady owner of a petrol station so I never went short ( Cough).
 
queuing for petrol during rationing....date 1939...sorry no location on this one...

pic courtesy of carl chinn

lyn

Kyn,

The queue in the photo was for petrol coupons. They did not sell petrol over the counter. It was not long before motorists had to prove thrir need for a cae. Most motorists had to put their cars away for the duration of the war.

Old Boy
 
I worked for a petrol company when petrol was temporarily rationed during one of the Middle East Crises (I think in the 1960s)
Petrol retailers had to collect the ration coupons from their customers as the fuel was sold and when he (the retailer) needed more petrol for stock, he had to parcel the collected coupons up into stacks of each denomination and put them into a sealed envelope, with a declaration upon it that the contents amounted to the volume of fuel he was having delivered.
The tanker driver then took the unopened envelopes back to his depot and then they were forwarded, still unopened, with a copy of the delivery note to the Ministry of Transport for checking.

Many years afterwards, it was revealed that none of the envelopes ever got opened and checked by the Ministry and that the whole process was wide open to any amounts of fiddling by the retailer if he was willing to trust that the returned coupons never were scrutinised. I was not aware of any retailer who was willing to risk what would surely be a hefty penalty, but I'm sure a few would have tried it on!
 
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