by Apollo » Fri Apr 21, 2006 4:55 pm
This info comes from discussions a good few years back (non-web) but it would appear that the truth behind the removal of railings, fencing and similar large-scale non-essential public metal decorations was based on the needs of public propaganda, and a need to be seen to be doing something to contribute to the war effort. The same was true of similar appeals for items such as pots and pans.
The reality was said to great piles of these items, hidden from public view or destroyed. The reason being that the quality and type of the scrapped material was such that it was of no value for the grade of steel required for the manufacture of weapons and munitions.