Imports of Defence Materials

Under stress of war, nearly a quarter of all import arrivals were defence materials. In the seven years 1939 to 1945, imports of defence materials were valued at just over £105 million out of total imports valued at £438 million. The heaviest influx of defence materials was in 1943 when they reached nearly £47 million, half the value of all imports in that year.

The effect of war on the availability of normal imports is shown

– 372 –

in Chart 66, where the volume of imports has been subdivided to show the approximate portion which was represented by defence materials.¹