Cay Chamness has many talents, but she is queen when it comes to tea.
She knows exactly how long to steep the tea and at what temperature the water must be — unlike me who dips a teabag into a mug until it looks the right color. She knows the proper use for each tea. Even tea bags on your eyes must be green tea. I always hit her up to do a tea for KYGMC’s Community Read and her teas are always the first to be filled to capacity and always a stand-out event!
This year’s tea was called “Scarce-A-Tea” in reference to the rationing due to World War II’s need for many items to be used by the military and shipped to the boys overseas. People in attendance were asked to “smuggle” in their own cup, plate, fork and spoon. Our ‘resistance fighter,’ Tim Douglas, would meet you outside the museum and see if your name was on the list and if it wasn’t, or you didn’t know the special code, “Follow the Nightingale” you weren’t admitted into the building through a side passageway to a bombed-out room in the basement. There, lit by candles and lanterns, ladies and gents in period dress, enjoyed a wonderful tea with wartime foods prepared by Debbie Bray. Some of us felt the sting of rationing. One tea bag was given to each of us and that was to be used all night. Some forgot to bring their supplies and had to rely on the generosity of others for a cup or spoon. We got enough to eat but it made you think about those who starved due to lack of food and drink in France, the Netherlands and other occupied countries. If the Germans had found my cow, they would have taken it along with the rest and I wouldn’t have been able to share milk for those who wanted it in their tea. Sugar rations were put together and passed around in an old Mason jar. 1940’s music played quietly on the retro radio so the noise wouldn’t give us away. We were in constant fear of getting caught in such a secret gathering.
For our entertainment, Mrs. Chamness gave us all a most interesting lesson on tea during World War II. When the United States declared war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States government created a system of rationing, limiting the number of certain foods that a person could purchase. Supplies such as gasoline, butter, sugar, and canned milk were rationed because they needed to be diverted to the war effort. War also disrupted trade, limiting the availability of some goods. For example, the Japanese Imperial Army controlled the Dutch East Indies (today’s Indonesia) from 1942-1945, creating a shortage of rubber that affected American production. President Roosevelt created the Office of Price Administration whose main responsibility was to place a ceiling on prices of most goods and to limit consumption by rationing. Americans received their first ration cards in May 1942 known as the “Sugar Book” for one of the commodities Americans could purchase with their ration card. Other ration cards developed as the war progressed. OPA rationed automobiles, tires, gasoline, fuel oil, firewood, nylon, silk and shoes. (Some ladies would draw a line, with an eyebrow pencil down the back of their leg to look like they were wearing hose.) Americans used their ration cards to get their meager share of household staples including sugar, meat, dairy, coffee, dried fruits, jams, jellies, lard, shortening and oils. Americans learned, as they did during the Great Depression, to do without. Sacrificing certain items during the war became the norm and it was considered a common good for the war effort. It affected every American household.
Americans were the least affected by the war. World War II was a six-year-long global conflict from 1939 to 1945 for the vast majority of the world’s countries.
“It was the most widespread war in history involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries, altering the political alignment and reshaping the social structure of the world forever.” Almost 60 million people lost their lives, of which 40 million were civilians. Soldiers, having witnessed more death than any human ever should, had to be removed from the battlefield due to severe psychological trauma and nervous breakdowns. (That was before we had heard the term post-traumatic stress syndrome -PTSD.) In those chaotic times, a lot of comfort was needed to maintain morale. So, the British Government made an unusual decision in 1942 and purchased all the black tea available on the European market in an effort to help their soldiers! Yes, you read correctly- they bought the world’s entire supply of tea! Desperate times called for desperate measures, and tea was an object of comfort; it was healthy, easy to make, and reminded the young men of home. Tea has been a part of British culture for a long time. Once the preserve of the upper classes it eventually found its way into every social stratum. In the 1700s, its popularity soared in the United States due to claims that it had medicinal properties and fear that the water was too toxic to drink. On both points, “it appears that people were correct. There were fewer incidences of dysentery and other bacterial diseases, as more people drank tea.” The importance of tea was not something new to the British government and armed services either. They were also aware of the value of tea to the troops. According to stories, they supplied the British troops before the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. So, the buying of tea during World War II was just the officialization of a military habit. “They purchased strong black tea from Ceylon, Assam, and Africa for the soldiers. East Asia was ruled out as a possible source because Chinese exports were near zero, and Japan was not seen as a desirable supplier.”
With the challenges Britain had faced in 1942: being forced to withdraw their soldiers from the European theater after being beaten by the Axis countries; Singapore, their citadel, had fallen; and the country was on the verge of bankruptcy. Tea was purchased in such large quantities that it got ranked among the top five purchases of the conflict. “It was calculated that the British government purchased more tea than artillery projectiles and explosives based only on weight.” Churchill is even reported to have called tea more important than ammunition. Some historians “believe that large quantities of tea were Britain’s hidden weapon. For a nation at War, tea got considered a visible symbol of unity. It was something that everyone could appreciate. On the front lines, the troops might have something from home, while those staying in the country could have something to relax with. “ The Royal Air Force dropped 75,000 tea bombs into the occupied Netherlands over a single night, demonstrating the worth of tea to the British. Each bomb contained 10 oz. teabags from the Dutch East Indies and a British message reading: “The Netherlands will rise again. Chins Up!” The Red Cross included a packet of Twining tea in packages given to prisoners of war in an estimated 20 million parcels. “Tea was an excellent way to improve morale among the troops on the front lines. Tea drinking was a social ritual that fostered togetherness and improved everyone’s mood.” “It brought a semblance of calm to a turbulent and dangerous time- huddled in air raid shelters, amongst the devastation and rubble of the Blitz, on the battlefield, in hospitals, at home in front of the fire and it brought comfort to the people and soldiers fighting for freedom and democracy during the Second World War.”
As it gets colder outside, perhaps you will read this article or finish your complimentary book, The Nightingale and have your own cup of tea to “remain calm and carry on”.
Questions may be sent to Hixson@kygmc.org at Kentucky Gateway Museum Center, Maysville, Ky.