Empty Shelves

There have been shortages before.

Hubert and Gladys were babies in the rationing years of the second world war. It was the lack of natural vitamins and nutrients in the subsistence diet of a nation under blockade by the warships and U-Boats of the Nazis that gave them both such a poor start to their early lives.

Natural development and an ability to thrive were consequences of meagre goodness in dried foodstuffs, the absence of any fruit, ugly vegetables and small cuts of red meat.

Hubert was of below average height for his age, not helped by his ricket induced bowed legs and with a pale demeanour to his drawn facial features. Gladys retained a boyish physique well into her later teens and struggled keep her own hair and teeth.

Everyone remarked, when they stepped out together, that they made a beautiful couple.

In their first married years the rationing continued even though the Government promised that better and not austere days were just around the corner, although on a winding road of recovery they did not, understandably specify what corner they were talking about.

It was a case of having to live with one or other of their families whilst on the waiting list for their own home, albeit confined to a council house of which there was a shortage following the destruction of a good proportion of residences in the blitz.

Work was also in short supply. Hubert was not afraid of grafting and took on a number of labouring and menial jobs to make a contribution to their lodgings and to try to save towards a deposit on a rental or ideally an actual owned property. Gladys took in laundry and without Hubert's knowledge often did cleaning and even a bit of child minding. She was determined to pay her share in their marriage.

In the post war years the economy of the UK did start to recover sufficiently to attain full employment. House building started to catch up with demand (although it never would) and at long last the couple took up occupation of a brand new local authority built two storey and three bedroomed semi detached on a large estate on the then periphery of the town.

Aspirations of furnishing the place and buying a car took some discipline in scrimping and saving. They were of the generation who regarded getting into debt, any debt,as shameful and defeatist. They would do without if they could not buy outright.

The arrival of three children, almost in successive years, brought about other shortages but of a manageable type mainly revolving around living space, the domestic budget and opportunties for holidays and treats.

Hubert was, by the late 1950's and early 60's, employed in the offices of a large industrial concern validating the orders for major contracts in the home nation and through exporting to the dependant countries of the Commonwealth. It was a "jobs for life" expectation giving good working conditions and a salary allowing Gladys to keep home and hearth together.

The children fluorished in the stable environment and wanted for nothing although of course Mum and Dad made the necessary sacrifices to make this possible. School uniforms and meals took their share of the monthly income but it was do-able and a small amount could be put aside for that rainy day after the usual outgoings.

In the 1960's and 70's Hubert was prudent in making sure that his pension was supplemented but he was still able to move the family to their own house in that decade, a larger 4 bed semi in a leafy suburban part of town.

The UK economy, from a resurgence in the post war era was by the mid to late 70's amongst the worst in Europe through a combination of poor state management, labour disputes, a weak currency in world markets and full recovery of the industrial base of the likes of Germany and Japan. The shortages in power supplies in the UK enforced a three day working week and the panic buying of candles. The upheaval of the winter of discontent and austerity measures were generally tolerable to those who had made preparations in advance. Hubert and Gladys enjoyed what was otherwise a dire set of circumstances affecting the nation.

He rose steadily through the ranks of the office and was able to retire by the late 1980's on a good settlement which would see the couple in relative comfort for their later years.

There were some worries in their minds from the threat of a Third World War at that time but they had, after all, lived through conflict before and felt that they could cope with what was required of them in the "Protect and Survive" booklet.

The 1990's and into the 21st century saw the couple leading an active retirement being involved in many local activities and firmly committed to giving back to society some of the material wealth and knowledge that they had been blessed to receive.

Hubert ferried hospital patients to and fro in his own car and Gladys helped out at the soup kitchen and Foodbank. There was regular charitable giving to overseas and home grown relief projects.

Their life was comfortable and they felt that they were entitled to some time to themselves between humanitarian and compassionate acts.

Their little luxury was a hard earned sit down and a cup of tea during which they could reminisce and talk about the children, now all grown up and with their own families.

Hubert found himself staring down the barrel one morning with the realisation that there was a distinct shortage of his favourite biscuits, Custard Creams and Bourbons at the bottom of it.

Gladys was anxious at hearing Hubert;s indignant outburst, fearing some medical complaint or observation of something in the news columns. She was well aware of the biscuit crisis affecting the country but was prepared to attribute the absence of the cream filled treats to an oversight on her part in the last weekly shop in order to protect the sensibilities of her husband.

He must have seen about the mayhem and disruption wreaked by a named storm front on the production facilities of United Biscuits at their Carlisle factory but having worked in a large industry he would have expected supplies to resume at the earliest opportunity.

The flood waters in Carlisle had swamped the factory causing the baking ovens to cease functioning with many weeks required to bring them back into service.

Hubert was by now distraught at the lack of biscuits to go with his tea.

He ranted and raved after seeing the magnitude of the crisis on an internet search.

Gladys did not have to contemplate taking one for the team after all. He did not fight a world war, he admitted that, to be starved of his favourite bakes nor had he lived through years of austerity and shortages to be faced with this feeble indictment of UK manufacturing and disaster planning.

The last straw, to his mind, was the media coverage given to the arrival of two huge Boeing Cargo Planes into Doncaster Airport from the Emirates with an airlift of biscuits intended to appease the UK population.

He turned to express his feelings to Gladys but such was her love and admiration for her husband that she was already reversing the car down the drive to get in what could be a long and expectant queue at the local Tesco supermarket.