Jute, sandbags, and the industrial power of empire

Jute supplied the fibre for hessian sacks, rope, and sandbags, with India providing the principal raw-material source described here. Dundee brought that fibre together with whale oil used in preparation for weaving, mills, shipping, and port capacity. The estimate for peak wartime sandbag output is roughly a million a month. Access to raw materials and the ability to manufacture them at scale supported Britain's staying power, while blockade restricted German access to comparable resources. As the conflict became a war of production, this industrial network increased Britain's influence within the coalition.