A Corset for Mr. Dalton

In the moorland town of Macclesfield, Housewife Hannah Wright was out of control. Many an officially contrived British wartime makeshift had annoyed her. But wartime corsets made her writhing mad. Last week she sent a letter to Daily Express Columnist William Barkley. Wrote angry Mrs. Wright:

"I wish you would take up seriously and strongly the matter of the utility [Government-designed] corset. There should be no false modesty about this very essential article. . . .

"After the birth of my second child the sight of my figure enclosed in a utility corset nearly paralyzed me. True, it caused a certain amusement to my family, but I didn't feel funny, only ill and unhappy. . . .

"I found that the boning at the front consisted of three pieces of compressed cardboard. I defy even the most pugnacious cardboard to do anything but follow the shape of the figure it encloses. . . .

"A band of infuriated housewives should force Mr. Dalton [Hugh Dalton, Board of Trade president, clothing rationing boss and hence Minister in charge of corsets] into a utility corset and a pair of the best-fitting utility stockings he can buy. I would add a saucy black felt hat for which he had to pay four guineas [$16.80] and a pair of those ghastly wooden-soled shoes.

"He should be made to walk one mile, then stand in a fish queue for an hour. By the end of this time his utility stockings would [droop] from knee to instep in snakelike coils and twists. His corset would have wilted into an uncomfortable, revolting mass of cotton and cardboard. He would find himself supporting the corset, instead of the corset supporting him.

"May I suggest this would be a very speedy remedy."

Mrs. Wright got action. Mr. Dalton's Board announced release of enough steel to make 1,750,000 corsets. But the Corset Advisory Board warned British women that new corsets are not just around the corner. The Board (nine middle-aged men) proposed to spend all summer inspecting and approving models.

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