Brighton Herald photograph collection

'Yes we 'ave no bananas!'

By Jennifer Drury

Most popular fruit

Bananas are said to be the most popular fruit in the world today. During the war though, as imported perishables, they were impossible to get and most children did not see their first banana until after the war. Similarly, during World War II bananas disappeared from shops.

National Banana Day

When transatlantic shipping re-commenced at the end of the war, the return of the banana was hailed as heralding an end to austerity and to the curse of the ration book. The Labour government even instigated a National Banana Day in 1946. Every child should have a banana that day, it was decreed.

Do you remember?

Do you remember your first banana? Please share your banana memories by posting a comment below.
And does anyone recognise the cheeky chappy munching his banana?

Delivery of bananas in unidentified Brighton Street

Royal Pavilion and Museums Brighton and Hove

This lucky chap clearly is enjoying his treat

Royal Pavilion and Museums Brighton and Hove

This page was added on 17/04/2017.

Comments about this page

Great pictures! This "unidentified Brighton street" is New England Street.

By Janet Beal (18/04/2017)

Yes, I remember tasting my first banana - it was at the end of the war and my cousin Brian Curtis and I were visiting his Aunt in Park Crescent. She gave us both a half, never forgot the taste and even now when I'm in the supermarket buying bananas I think of that first time.

By Rita Hider (19/04/2017)

You can see where this fitted in at pay-office-and-footbridge-photos.php

By Brian Dungate (21/04/2017)

I was eight years old when my first ever banana was given to me by an uncle, on leave/demob from Germany. My older brother was given a superb Nazi dagger, whilst I had this strange looking dark green "fruit"(?). Of course, I wasn't allowed to taste it until it had remained on a shelf for a whole week until gradually turning yellow. An unforgettable experience

By Brian Hatley (05/05/2017)

My mum remembers following the banana man just after the war when he gave them some bananas. She took them home and gave them to her mum then was upset because they couldn't eat them as they were green and needed to ripen.