Black Marketeers WW2
 

Anyone know much about Black Marketeering in Canada in WW2?

I asked my MIL (born 1938) if she had any memories of the war and it seems her dad was a black marketeer. She made it sound like Robin Hood and his merry men in that they would "go off" and return with stuff that was in short supply and have it dished out to people, sometimes involving the police turning a blind eye.

I've done a bit of reading and I see reports of Americans selling cigarettes (for example) to Canadians but she tells me they had no funds to buy stuff although it involved going across the border. It sounds like they might have been raiding and hijacking unless she was completely in the dark.

She thinks there was a name for the organisation...something militia, except in Quebec it would have been French :unsure:

Re: Black Marketeers WW2
 

There's an article here on the black market - if you open in firefox you can open the pdf's in a new tab, no download.
https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibit...geprice_e.html
Poultry Business Locked Up in Swift 'Black Market' Raid
https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca › dsk2 › ftp03

There's some references on this page that you could check - with direct links to montreal newspapers of the 1940's that might be of help in your research :) https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2015/1...black-markets/
(such as this https://news.google.com/newspapers?n...b_mode=2&hl=en
or 7 days free trial https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-gazette/8130/

If you get bored, I found this website .. https://www.loc.gov/newspapers/?all=...hType=advanced

There was a Montreal based black market in babies :(

Re: Black Marketeers WW2
 

I did a similar thing with loo roll and Lysol wipes last April. They called me Danny Getz. If you needed toilet paper, Danny Getz was the word on the street.

Re: Black Marketeers WW2
 

Peckham Spring comes to mind.

I remember when Coca Cola tried to launch Dasani in the UK and it transpired they were just putting tap water in a bottle in East London.
BBC NEWS | Business | Coke's water bomb

Classic Del and Rod.

Re: Black Marketeers WW2
 

Thanks for those. One of them I had found but not the others. It doesn't really sound like Robin Hood and his merry men does it. ;)

I suppose a romanticised view might be involved as it's coming from my MIL, with a bit of her mum and dad's version thrown in. But MIL doesn't have the fondest memories of her parents. Also, the first thing she mentioned when I asked about any memories was her dad was involved in something illegal.

Perhaps the name she can't remember was just something his particular group was known as.

At least it wasn't the Peaky Blinders. :lol:

Re: Black Marketeers WW2
 

Most welcome! I also found these .. featuring 50+ mentions of black market operations during WW2 (both are pdf's.. open in new tab in FF)and lots of references, should you wish to delve further! . https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca › .item
and https://ruor.uottawa.ca › bitstream › 1
:D

Re: Black Marketeers WW2
 

The Black market in Britain continued well after the end of WW2,
My Mother was getting sugar from our local Butcher, until he got nicked. I think he got some jail time, the Butcher shop never reopened.

Re: Black Marketeers WW2
 

I'll have to ask her if her dad looked like this


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...d48ac0bb56.png

:rofl:

Re: Black Marketeers WW2
 

Not sure if this is relevant, as you asked for Canadian Black Marketeers, but FWIW:

My Grandad served in the Royal Navy, and was at the Allied invasion of Sicily. He told me that as the troops were unloading supplies, there were 2 piles - one for the troops at the front and one for the black market. The piles were pretty equal, implying 50% racketeering.

Re: Black Marketeers WW2
 

Which backs up the idea of needing cash (or something to barter with) to obtain the supplies unless it's something worse :nod: