Sowerbutt's Business

The retired writer for the East London Pioneer, who still has the notebook from his interview in the early 1960s with Jimmy Sowerbutt, said: "Rationing continued for years after the war, even bread went on the ration card. Jimmy told me dozens of stories about the Black Market. Not that he was involved, he always had an alibi.

"Poultry was a good trade, selling birds to the fancy West End restaurants. Before Christmas 1946, lorry-loads of chickens and turkeys were bought off unregistered farmers and sold in London at 50% mark-ups.   Thousands of pounds were made.
"Spirits were another big trade. Dozens of places in the West End where you could buy whisky or gin for say three or four pounds, a huge mark-up.
"You name it, you could get it for a price - cigarettes, tyres, car parts, paint, timber, machine parts."
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Lemon-Surrender-1940-ebook/dp/B008USR7FA