GRANVILLE Posted 16 March , 2008 Share Posted 16 March , 2008 Would members like to comment on what kind of drinking mug was issued during the war? The white & blue one pint enamel mug seems a strong contender, however is this the case? Were the issue mugs war department arrow marked, and does anyone know of a supplier of a suitable mug to compliment a collection of replica equipment? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief_Chum Posted 16 March , 2008 Share Posted 16 March , 2008 Hi David, I'm pretty sure that no mugs were ever issued. Even as late as the 1950s soldiers bought their own mugs from the NAAFI. In the Great War the men were issued with mess tins; the top for drinking out of and the bottom for eating out of. You certainly see plenty of men carrying mugs but they were not an issue item. Taff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovetown Posted 17 March , 2008 Share Posted 17 March , 2008 I wonder/ hope if Joe Sweeney or Chris Henschke can add something here. Just that, while in GRO 1824 of 1916 (ie what personal items were issued) no mug or cup is mentioned in the list; nor, that I can see, is the mess tin.... I have a flat-strapped plain metal tin cup that is both Broad Arrow marked and dated 1916. Best wishes, GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findabetterole Posted 17 March , 2008 Share Posted 17 March , 2008 As far as I am aware chaps, whether issue or not, the main and most commonly used / seen mug for the British Armed Forces for WW.1 was the the white with blue rim. Seph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRANVILLE Posted 17 March , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 March , 2008 Thanks to all. The clear concensus is that no mug was ever issued, which I admit was something of a surprise to me, as I had just taken it for granted one would have been. Beyond that it looks like the white with blue trim was the most common (much the same today I guess), with a plain tinned mug a close second if not equal. Wouldn't mind a picture of the mug Grovetown is referring to, as this is the only confirmation of an arrow stamped mug that anyone has put forward. Thanks again chaps. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief_Chum Posted 17 March , 2008 Share Posted 17 March , 2008 I would guess that there must have been some mugs issued for specific jobs (medical perhaps?), but the Field Service regulations for 1914 only mention mess tins and the top half of the mess tin has no function whatsoever except for drinking from... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiegeGunner Posted 17 March , 2008 Share Posted 17 March , 2008 Not a subject I have any specialist knowledge about, but I've always assumed men carried a mug and a spoon at all times on a 'just in case' basis – just in case they ran into someone with a brew on, or a sup of rum to share, or a couple of spoonfuls of beans going begging ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRANVILLE Posted 17 March , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 March , 2008 I would guess that there must have been some mugs issued for specific jobs (medical perhaps?), but the Field Service regulations for 1914 only mention mess tins and the top half of the mess tin has no function whatsoever except for drinking from... Thanks Taff. I'd rather presumed the mess tin was designed in two halves, so that savory went in one, and 'pudding' in the other, but I guess that would have just been wishful thinking in the field! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief_Chum Posted 17 March , 2008 Share Posted 17 March , 2008 "I'd rather presumed the mess tin was designed in two halves, so that savory went in one, and 'pudding' in the other, but I guess that would have just been wishful thinking in the field" Hi Granville, No, nothing that civilised! As soon as you have finished one cource the desert gets lobbed in on top... Cheers, Taff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 17 March , 2008 Share Posted 17 March , 2008 As anyone who has drank from a mess tin or an enamelled mug will tell you, they are incredibly bad for drinking tea from. The metal will burn your lips until the tea is almost cold. You have to master the art of tipping the tea into your mouth without touching your lips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovetown Posted 28 April , 2008 Share Posted 28 April , 2008 Herewith some examples of mine, the centre one obviously marked. I also saw a 1917 not-dissimilar item for sale on eBay recently. Best wishes, GT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROGSMILE Posted 28 April , 2008 Share Posted 28 April , 2008 I would guess that there must have been some mugs issued for specific jobs (medical perhaps?), but the Field Service regulations for 1914 only mention mess tins and the top half of the mess tin has no function whatsoever except for drinking from... From what I can gather 'issue' mugs (perhaps, as you suggest, initially on a small scale) have been around since the Great War, if not before. The mugs most commonly used by the British Army seem to have changed from white with blue handles to all brown during WWII, perhaps partly for camouflage reasons, although it also appears as if both types were available concurrently in WW1. As an aside, a very stout white china mug was issued to all in basic training from about 1970 and marked underneath with the crows foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 28 April , 2008 Share Posted 28 April , 2008 Article on US WW1 gear:- http://glennhyatt.com/messgear/messgearc.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heid the Ba Posted 29 April , 2008 Share Posted 29 April , 2008 In "Her Soldiers We" the author describes having to drink from the rim above the handle as the enamel got chipped away from the rest of the rim with the bashing about they got. Sorry don't have it to hand and can't quote a page but it is fairly early on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted 29 April , 2008 Share Posted 29 April , 2008 As an aside, a very stout white china mug was issued to all in basic training from about 1970 and marked underneath with the crows foot. My brother got one in 1950 & I got one of those heavy white pot pint mugs in 1955. (I wouldn`t term it "china"!) It soon broke and the QM replaced it with a smaller brown enamelled tin mug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest erky Posted 2 May , 2008 Share Posted 2 May , 2008 Attached is a picture of a WW1 mug I have used by HM Forces at Preston Station - thought this might be of interest. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Sweeney Posted 2 May , 2008 Share Posted 2 May , 2008 The Tea mug was not an item of issue to a soldier but was part of the British Army Inventory under barracks items. Never meant to be carried in the field but some of them made it which is evident in photos but not as common as I think some may think. Joe Sweeney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCLI Posted 6 May , 2008 Share Posted 6 May , 2008 As anyone who has drank from a mess tin or an enamelled mug will tell you, they are incredibly bad for drinking tea from. The metal will burn your lips until the tea is almost cold. You have to master the art of tipping the tea into your mouth without touching your lips. That's true but we used a piece of tin foil folded over the rim. It drips a bit but prevents your lips from burning. On mess tins, my father told me of some Polish troops he was stationed with during WW2 and they only had one mess tin, it was savoury at one end and sweet at the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piorun Posted 12 May , 2008 Share Posted 12 May , 2008 I take it that you are going to return that mug to Preston Station from where it was originally liberated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_hughes Posted 12 May , 2008 Share Posted 12 May , 2008 I recall a few years ago going to someone's house and being pleasantly surprised to see in a glass case granddad's WW1 spurs and a tin mug, which was either enamelled or painted a medium green, with his name & details as a member of the Cardigan Battery RFA (TF) painted on in blue. I suppose the "inscription" could be post-war, and I didn't have the nerve to ask them to take it out so's I could check if it was officially marked underneath...it might even conceivably be pre-war, or maybe a purchase in Egypt where the unit was sent in 1915. LST_164 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Doyle Posted 18 May , 2008 Share Posted 18 May , 2008 The excellently detailed book 'A Kitchener Man's Bit' by GV Dennis sheds some light, as he states that mess tins were kept clean due to the inspection regime in his battalion (even in the front line), with the result that tin plates and mugs were scrounged/won/bought where possible. I borrowed this book, so can't give you page details, but it really is a mine of such information! Cheers Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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