SRD Rum Poisoning

[RMF]

My father described to me an incident, which he witnessed, in his unit in France where two soldiers died of rum(alcohol) poisoning from rum consumed from a stolen rum jar. Was death from alcohol poisoning a very rare occurrence amongst soldiers on service in the Great War?

[healdav]

I would guess that this was not poisoning in the real sense, but simple over drinking. That rum was STRONG.

In the RN, the reason for giving junior ranks rum mixed with water was so that it could not be kept.

Senior ranks got it neat, but there were continual warnings about 'treating' people (known as 'sippers' and 'gulpers') as it was not unknown for men to die from alcohol poisoning.

Indeed, one of the reasons for stopping the rum ration was that half the RN was plastered in the afternoon.

[truthergw]

Many years ago, I was told by an old soldier of a sergeant being found dead with the remains of a jar of rum nearby. He had, allegedly, found the remains of a shelled ration cart and drunk himself to death. ( One of Bill's favourite war stories). Purely anecdotal of course, but he convinced me.

[RMF]

The only instance of rum poisoning which I have come across, in books I have read relating to the Great War, is in The War the Infantry Knew by Captain J.C. Dunn who was Medical Officer of the Second Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers. In his diary entry dated January 8th 1915, Captain Dunn wrote "While we were preparing to go up to relieve the Cameronians a rumour went around billets that a corporal of the 1st Battalion had been found dead some way behind the line, black in the face, and apparently strangled. This was said to be the work of enemy spies or patrols, and with so many undefended gaps in the line it was easy enough for them to get through. It was learned afterwards that the corporal's death was due to an immoderate draught of the company's rum ration, of which he had been in charge".

The features of the dead corporal, as described by Captain Dunn, accords with the features of the two dead soldiers who died of rum poisoning in my father's unit.

[KONDOA]

Evening Chums

My grandfather related that several men died of the effects of rum during the East African campaign.

This resulted from men not getting back to their tents after a drinking stolen rum and dying of hypothermia by sleeping on the open ground all night. No doubt they were already weakend from bouts of malaria and blackwater etc.

Roop

[jhill]

For what it is worth I point out the following bit from the War Diary of the Medical Officer of the 31st Canadian Battalion.

"

Ganspette.

30 Aug 1916 3:45 P.M.

Called to see No. 101715 Pte. C.H. Smith, suffering from

acute alcohol poisoning. Symptoms of morphine poisoning.

Did artificial respiration for 40 minutes.

. . .

31 Aug 1916

Sent two cases to No. 6 Field Ambulance; one of these is

poisoning case, who shows signs of cardiac failure. "

(It seems Pte. Smith died this day).