
" Today is the birthday of my only daughter, Becky. When she and her brother William were children, they used to love their visits to the sweet shop. I used to tell them that it wasn't quite as easy for me when I was their age; not because my parents couldn't afford to buy us sweets, but because in 1942 sweet rationing was introduced and stayed in force until the 5th, February, 1953. I was 11 years old before I could discover my favourite chew. Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of when Minister of Food, Gwilyn Lloyd George (son of former Prime Minister David Lloyd George) lifted the rationing of sweets that had been introduced during the Second World War.The day that the rationing of sweets was lifted was the signal for every boy and girl in the country who had a piggy bank, to raid it, and to join the stampede of small legs running to their nearest sweet shop. It was like The Californian Gold Rush of 1848. Sweet shops served queues of children all day long, and over the following week there were millions of first-time sweet tasters of Lemon Sherbets, Flying Saucers, Barley Sugar Twists, Creamline Toffees, Liquorice Allsorts, Jelly Babies, Fry's Chocolate Creams, Gobstoppers, and to round off these sugary delights, my own very favourite, Peardrops! Happy birthday Becky. I love you. Dad x" William Forde: February 6th, 2013.