Britain Delivers the Goods T-shirt
by William
(San Francisco)
Britain Delivers the Goods T-shirt
(StampGiftShop.com)
Britain Delivers the Goods is actually a poster label, not a matchbox cover.
These were used on envelopes as a patriotic gesture during the early days of World War II, when German U-Boats were attempting to strangle Britain's lifeline to the world by sinking merchant ships.
This indeed was a very real threat: by 1940-1941 all of Europe had fallen, by late 1941, most of Britain's supplies were crossing the North Atlantic by ship from the USA and Canada.
The U-Boats (German submarines) were waiting and would form 'packs' and sink as many merchant ships as they could. Ships were formed in convoys and the US Navy would escourt them halfway, then the Royal Navy would take them the last half.
The convoys would zig-zag across the Atlantic, but many ships would be lost. The Royal Navy made it a priority to destroy the U-Boats, and eventually this was accomplished for the most part.
This Britain Delivers the Goods T-shirt is a perfect gift for that relative who thought the war didn't end in 1945, anybody who's a patriotic Brit, or somebody with an ironic sense of humor. Or humour, rather...