Bread was still rationed. Our balance of payments were bad so we couldn’t pay for the wheat to make bread. It wasn’t until after the coronation that things began gradually to improve. Tax was horrendous but there were plenty of jobs hence bringing in workers from all over the empire.
More women were in full time work despite being married. They’d managed the balancing act during the war, that knowledge plus the freedom given them during that time was not being given up. They liked both the freedom and the little luxuries extra money could bring. There were also widows of course, recipients of a war pension but determining to improve their lives and that of their families.
The big event that seemed to point to a new beginning was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth the Second, a young woman with a family. The future promised to be brighter and hope returned along with the much longed for peace.
Unfortunately the end of WW2 did not mean the end of war. War broke out in Korea, an event which features in the second book of the Kowloon series. There were death marches and ongoing diplomatic negotiations. Eventually there was peace but not without high cost.