Dining in the trenches

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More trench farming

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4702156037_4560afd0a9_b.jpg

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"The whole day - wet and muddy and tiring, (we were in full marching order all the time) was most fascinating though. It ended by the stretcher bearers, of whom I was one being marched straight into the sergeant's mess and there served with dinner (rabbit stew) and a glass each of the sergeants' beer" Chaplin at the front Feb 1915

It would seem that Rabbit stew was very much sought after. There was even a phrase "all this and rabbit stew" which could be used either with a satisfied sigh as an exclamation of content or ironically when everything was dank cold and foodless. Two WW1 films were made in the 1940s and 50s using this as the title. The phrase actually comes from the ACW when the Confederate soldier was particularly fond of stewed bunny and has persisted (Bugs Bunny aficionados may remember Yosemite Sam emerging from a trench carrying the Confederate flag, yelling this slogan.) ACW cookbooks however suggest that a nice plump rat would make an acceptable substitute for Bugs B, judging by the recent Belgian cookbook I quoted earlier this tradition carried on into the trenches of WW1 and on to the current day

[CarylW]

Source: True stories of the great war tales of adventure--heroic deeds--exploits told by the soldiers, officers, nurses, diplomats, eye witnesses, collected from official and authoritative sources .Editor-in-chief, Francis Trevelyan Miller Published 1917

"Kitchener's Mob- Flies, Rats and Domestic Science

"..........Shorty was a Ph.D. in every subject in the curriculum including domestic science. In preparing breakfast he gave me a practical demonstration of the art of conserving a limited resource of fuel, bringing our two canteens to a boil with a very meager handful of sticks ; and while doing so he delivered an oral thesis on the best methods of food preparation. For example, there was the item of corned beef familiarly called "bully." It was the piiece de resistance at every meal with the possible exception of breakfast, when there was usually a strip of bacon.

Now, one's appetite for "bully" becomes jaded in the course of a few weeks or months. To use the German expression one doesn't eat it gern. But it is not a question of liking it. One must eat it or go hungry. Therefore, said Shorty, save carefully all of your bacon grease^ and instead of eating your "bully" cold out of the tin, mix it with bread crumbs and grated cheese and fry it in the grease. He prepared some in this way, and I thought it a most delectable dish. Another way of stimulating the palate was to boil the beef in a solution of bacon grease and water, and then, while eating it, "kid yerself that it's Irish stew." This second method of taking away the curse did not appeal to me very strongly, and Shorty admitted that he practiced such self-deception with very indifferent success; for after all "bully" was "bully" in whatever form you ate it.

In addition to this staple, the daily rations consisted of bacon, bread, cheese, jam, army biscuits, tea, and sugar. Sometimes they received a tinned meat and vegetable ration, already cooked, and at welcome intervals fresh meat and potatoes were substituted for corned beef. Each man had a very generous allowance of food, a great deal more, I thought, than he could possibly eat. Shorty explained this by saying that allowance was made for the amount which would be consumed by the rats and the

blue-bottle flies.

There were, in fact, millions of flies. They settled in great swarms along the walls of the trenches, which were filled to the brim with warm light as soon as the sun had climbed a little way up the sky. Empty tin-lined ammunition boxes were used as cupboards for food. But of what avail were cupboards to a jam-loving and jam- fed British army living in open ditches in the summer time? Flytraps made of empty jam tins were set along

the top of the parapet. As soon as one was filled, another was set in its place. But it was an unequal war against an expeditionary force of countless numbers.

"They ain't nothin' you can do," said Shorty. "They steal the jam right off yer bread."

As for the rats, speaking in the light of later experience, I. can say that an army corps of Pied Pipers would not have sufficed to entice away the hordes of them that

infested the trenches, living like house pets on our rations. They were great lazy animals, almost as large as cats, and so gorged with food that they could hardly

move. They ran over us in the dugouts at night, and filched cheese and crackers right through the heavy waterproofed coverings of our haversacks. They squealed and

fought among themselves at all hours. I think it possible that they were carrion eaters, but never, to my knowledge, did they attack living men. While they were

unpleasant bedfellows, we became so accustomed to them that we were not greatly concerned about our very inti-

mate associations. ........."

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Way back as a boy when fresh meat was still on ration (and money was tight anyway) I remember my mum making rissoles out of corned beef, bread crumbs etc very much as described in the previous post. My Irish gran who lived out in the Yorkshire countryside and kept a few pigs supplied the fat (and made the most amazing black puddings).

[made living int shoe box int middle of th' road almost worthwhile]

[TEW]

Found another quote for a Trench Cow not in the Divisions mentioned by Ashworth. It's from

'WAR HISTORY OF THE 18TH (S.) BATTALION DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY'. May 1918 31st Division, on archive.org

The enemy shelling was now becoming heavy and accurate, and he obtained direct hits on the trench line, Company and Battalion Headquarters. Our trench cow, which was regularly handed over as a trench store from battalion to battalion, was slightly wounded by a splinter but this did not reduce her milk supply. Ultimately when things were getting too hot, as we were not likely to be able to replace her by indent if she was killed, we sent her to the Aid Post, which was not in so dangerous a place.

TEW

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The following trench recopies may be of interest

http://www.hardscrabblefarm.com/80th/trench_cooking1.htm

[CarylW]

Source: History of the 51st (Highland) Division. archive.org

More about the Tommy Cookers

".......Efforts were also made to provide the men with hot meals in the line. The portable hot-food containers issued for this purpose proved too heavy a burden for a man to

carry over two thousands yards of water, shell-holes, and slippery mud, and they had to be abandoned.

In place of them the men were issued with Tommy Cookers, small tins of solidified alcohol on which they could heat their own food. Tins of meat and vegetable rations were on this account made the permanent issue for troops in the line. Each man was thus able to heat for himself a really good and nourishing stew, even if he lived in a shell-hole and had no previous knowledge of cooking. This system proved very satisfactory, and the number of hot meals a man could have during a day was only limited

by the number of Tommy Cookers that could be obtained. Ingenious quartermasters therefore discovered means of improvising Tommy Cookers, and making them in large numbers for their battalions.

This in itself was a great improvement for the men, and it became no longer necessary to live from dawn to dusk with nothing but cold meat and biscuit to eat and with cold water to drink, as had been the case when the sector was first taken over...........

Caryl

[CarylW]

Interesting about the Trench cows and I suppose they would have country lads or even dairymen amongst the ranks who would know how to care for them but the by-products; methane gas from the front end and what comes out of the rear must have difficult to cope with in a trench. Mind you country boys were used to it and there would have been worse smells around. Probably worth it for the fresh milk. Anyone have a photo?

Caryl

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In place of them the men were issued with Tommy Cookers, small tins of solidified alcohol on which they could heat their own food.

In fact fuelled with a form of paraffin wax similar to that used by inexpert barbecuers to ignite their charcoal. The original design was very much a use once and throw away design, later ones folded up to form a small pack and when open you could put one or two small bricks of fuel in. Just room to balance a mess tin on. Still being sold as late as 1970 until those little portable gas cookers killed then off. Had the inestimable advantage of producing little or no smoke. Also used were early Tilley stoves working on liquid paraffin under pressure. Badly maintained or used incorrectly these could be lethal and there are records of death through carbon monoxide poisoning when they were used in dug outs and bad burning when they exploded

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Mind you country boys were used to it and there would have been worse smells around.

Certainly it would be no worse than having to clean out a shippen of fourteen cows on a winters morning

[CarylW]

[CarylW]

The following trench recopies may be of interest

http://www.hardscrab...ch_cooking1.htm

Like the sound of the first recipe, ideal for camping. Everything in the one pot, except if you have it over rice

What did French soldiers eat in the trenches? Can only seem to find reproduction label sites. Or other nations for that matter?

.

Caryl

[Desdichado]

Trawling through the NA recently, I happened across one sapper who hailed from Norfolk and had been a poacher in civvy street. He was often given special dispensation to go and bag a hare or bird for the officers' mess table.

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What did .......... other nations (eat) for that matter?

I've seen one account, from a quiet sector, of the smell of frying liver, bacon and onions drifting over from the German front line (sounds like Psywar to me - the Republicans used this technique during the siege of the Alcazar)

[Desdichado]

I've seen one account, from a quiet sector, of the smell of frying liver, bacon and onions drifting over from the German front line (sounds like Psywar to me - the Republicans used this technique during the siege of the Alcazar)

It would be if the Tommies were hungry but, from what I've read, the Germans coveted British rations. Some of Martin Middlebrook's German informants mention their joy upon finding British rations during the advances in 1918. Apparently, some German units stopped moving altogether and sat down to a feast of bully beef, tinned butter, and jam.

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It would be if the Tommies were hungry but, from what I've read, the Germans coveted British rations. Some of Martin Middlebrook's German informants mention their joy upon finding British rations during the advances in 1918. Apparently, some German units stopped moving altogether and sat down to a feast of bully beef, tinned butter, and jam.

The period I was talking about was C end 1915 when the German ration position was not desperate - wouldn't you prefer fried liver, bacon and onions to tinned corn beef?

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British Bully was not only sought after by the Germans but also by the Americans as theirs was frequently 'off' Although sourcing for both was from the same South American suppliers British practice was to can as close to source as possible whereas political pressure from the Chicago Meat Packers Association resulted in American purchased beef being shipped to Chicago for canning by which time some of it was decidedly high.

[Desdichado]

The period I was talking about was C end 1915 when the German ration position was not desperate - wouldn't you prefer fried liver, bacon and onions to tinned corn beef?

Being a veggie, I wouldn't but I get your point. By the way, do you know if tinned sardines or other types of fish were available during the war? My gradfather was addicted to them and told me that his love of the little critters dated back to his time in uniform.

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By the way, do you know if tinned sardines or other types of fish were available during the war? My gradfather was addicted to them and told me that his love of the little critters dated back to his time in uniform.

From well before, see the first post in this thread for a Canadian officer in 1915 mentioning eating them. I'm allergic to most types of fish so it makes me shudder!

[CarylW]

I might have been tempted over to the 'other side', if they were frying up bacon, liver and onions and I was hungry!

Talking of fish; German soldiers had herring. In Storm of Steel: Ernst Junger "On some days there was herring with boiled potatoes and dripping, which was considered quite a feast". Earlier in the book he refers to the rations as "..the food is of martial monotonousness, but plentiful enough, provided the ration parties don't 'evaporate' it on the way and leave half of it on the ground...". He also talks about shooting pheasant to eat but they had to be careful not to obliterate too much of the bird because there wasn't much meat on them.

This was prior to the Battle of the Somme. What did German daily rations consist of?

I'm getting confused as to what exactly bully beef was? I've come across different references for it. Was it corned beef? Fray Bentos? Did Machonachie supply this or just the tins of 'Machonachie Stew'?

Caryl

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I'm getting confused as to what exactly bully beef was? I've come across different references for it. Was it corned beef? Fray Bentos? Did Machonachie supply this or just the tins of 'Machonachie Stew'?

Bully was corned beef (but probably not quite as we know it today) mostly canned for the British at Fray Bentos. Machonachie wasn't so much a stew as a skilly and I don't think the tins were ever labeled as stew. It needed to be heated to be anywhere near palatable.

[CarylW]

Thanks. Must have carried onto the next war because my dad, a former Royal Marine, when left to cook, always used corned beef, either hash, or as you had rissoles. You'd think he'd have eaten enough of it! I liked it though, stil do

Out of interest. Maconochie's estate from The Daily Chronicle 1926. What was he doing prior and after the war? producing tinned goods or did he just do it during wartime?

Caryl

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His Aberdeen company was selling food to the British army in the South African War including a tinned ration pack containing stew and vegetables separately. After WW1 he probably engaged in the fine old Aberdonian custom of counting his money.

[Tyrim]

Caryl,

What a kind and benevolent parent. I wonder how many of his children opted out via the next to last paragraph.

tyrim

[CarylW]

Caryl,

What a kind and benevolent parent. I wonder how many of his children opted out via the next to last paragraph.

tyrim

Yes, quite! An interesting family I'll bet. There is a story there

More 'dining in the trenches' photos

The cooks