Wartime Malta was a period probably nobody wants to go back to. Having had to struggle to make ends meet and to feed their children, families were in dire straits. The Victory Kitchen rationed out food to avoid unnecessary waste, with the below video showing snippets of life during that time.

“During World War II, food was scarce and many staples were rationed. The British governments organised Victory Kitchens to feed the Malta people who were facing famine,” Malta Audio Visual Memories writes in the caption.

The Victory Kitchen operated with a ticketing system: people would queue up with their pots and pans at the ready to exchange their coupons for food.

It is said that on the day that the renowned Santa Marija Convoy came to Malta with food and supplies, the Maltese were 10 days away from absolute starvation. This is another reason why we celebrate this day on 15^th August, despite the feast also having religious ties.