70 year old Dig for Victory box returned
4 November 2011
A Dig for Victory exhibition pack, issued during the Second World War, has finally been returned to the RHS after nearly 70 years.
The exhibition pack, contained in a wooden box, consists of boards and mounted photographs of crop-growing. The pack was originally issued by the RHS on 23 September 1943, and has been returned to RHS Lindley Library by staff of Isle of Wight college.
The RHS first created the exhibition pack in 1941 to teach the nation how to grow their own vegetables and supplement their ration-book diets. The packs became part of a travelling exhibition that went around the country, providing a vital resource for vegetable growers in the UK.
Val Brooke, RHS Library Collections Manager, commented; 'These packs provided a vital resource for people, many of whom had never grown anything. It’s wonderful to have this pack returned to the RHS after all this time to become an important part of our archive collection.'