A question.....Britain back in the 40s had no oil...very little anyway....did it have to be paid for in dollars?...If so was the higher fuel cost per ton-mile of converted bombers taken into account in purchasing decisions
A30 ,, I do not have the answer to your question but although the UK in the 40s and 50s had not found oil in the North Sea it did control large areas where oil had been found [ Persian Gulf ] and these areas were in the Sterling Area which meant that transactions were done in British Pounds.