Rum Ration

[healdav]

16 hours ago, FROGSMILE said:

I’m aware of the retirement protocol, which also applies to generals given that it’s a very long standing way of doing things.

I was referring to admirals on the active list and regardless of who coined it as a bon mot, it happened at the time I’m thinking of to be true.  I did the calculation at the time based on ‘ships in ordinary’ and discounting those awaiting refit, or in reserve.

None of this of course has any bearing on the blending used for Royal Navy Rum Contracts, and we are in danger of getting so far off beam from that subject that this debate will start to resemble a civil service style working group.  God forbid.

Like Wilson you're forgetting that there are a lot of admirals who hold NATO and UN positions.

In fact, that was an exercise at Staff College: "You are Admiral commanding STANFORLANT and are ordered to take action to prevent a Russian fleet invading Walcheren......................."

[Jeff Pickerd]

At the declaration of war by Australia, the Commonwealth Government authorised that the two oldest and largest rum distilling companies, Beenleigh & Bundaberg in Queensland would have almost all of their entire rum production commanderred  by the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Navy throughout the war. There is evidence to Bundaberg distillery having this imposed, but I not been able to confirm the fact for the Beenleigh distillery as yet, but it would stand to reason that the same would have applied as to that imposed upon Bundaberg. The 1917 Bundaberg production proved to be the highest year of output in the companies history.

The rum was forwarded to the Admiralty Supply Reserve Depot, Deptford, Kent, in oak barrels (either Puncheon or Hogsheads) of over-proof.

Jeff

[FROGSMILE]

1 hour ago, Jeff Pickerd said:

At the declaration of war by Australia, the Commonwealth Government authorised that the two oldest and largest rum distilling companies, Beenleigh & Bundaberg in Queensland would have almost all of their entire rum production commanderred  by the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Navy throughout the war. There is evidence to Bundaberg distillery having this imposed, but I not been able to confirm the fact for the Beenleigh distillery as yet, but it would stand to reason that the same would have applied as to that imposed upon Bundaberg. The 1917 Bundaberg production proved to be the highest year of output in the companies history.

The rum was forwarded to the Admiralty Supply Reserve Depot, Deptford, Kent, in oak barrels (either Puncheon or Hogsheads) of over-proof.

Jeff

Thank you for that interesting fact Jeff, Australia was mentioned as a pro tem supplier by Matt Pietrek in one of his articles charting the history of rum supplied to the Royal Navy, although he didn’t specify the distilleries.

[Piper42nd]

Wonderful information gentlemen.  I still find it curious that there is a wealth of information relating to Navy rum and its distribution but almost nothing relating to Army rum.  Aside from the newspaper clipping posted earlier.  Did the Army not get a rum tot until the war and the miserable trench conditions? 

Harvey 

[FROGSMILE]

15 minutes ago, Piper42nd said:

Wonderful information gentlemen.  I still find it curious that there is a wealth of information relating to Navy rum and its distribution but almost nothing relating to Army rum.  Aside from the newspaper clipping posted earlier.  Did the Army not get a rum tot until the war and the miserable trench conditions? 

Harvey 

I have been thinking exactly the same thing Harvey and have written to Matt Pietrek and asked him to consider looking into it given the effort he’s made concerning the Royal Navy supplies.  I’ve not yet had a reply, but it’s early days.  It seems unlikely to me that the Admiralty acted on behalf of the Army, but Deptford was a shared location (but not seemingly a shared depot) so for Rum brokers like ‘E D & F Man’ it would have been a no-brainer to get involved with both Services needs.

Reading between the lines the fact that the Army had a simple requirement of one gallon earthenware jars (that are a subject in themselves in terms of contracts from the Black Country to provide them), then I suspect that the bottling (as it were) was done centrally utilising rum from the same suppliers, but without the time consuming blending in the huge naval vats (I’ve never heard of the Army having a similar facility and it seems unlikely).  The question is, where and how did the bottling take place…?

 

Edited 2 September , 2022 by FROGSMILE

[Loopgraaf]

Maybe nice to know. Few years ago was on the website of Bundaberg rum a timeline. And it said that in the WW1 years more export use of rum than it was in own country.

Here a link for a little rum history in WW1 with a picture of al the terms about SRD. SRD Jar (bundabergrumshowcase.com.au)

 

[Piper42nd]

That seems to end the discussion of what SRD stands for.  Thank you.

[FROGSMILE]

45 minutes ago, Piper42nd said:

That seems to end the discussion of what SRD stands for.  Thank you.

I received a reply from Matt Pietrek and he was very interested in the Army system that I described, but said he was busy with other research and that it would be some time before he could give it any consideration (research and writing seems to be how he earns his living).  I was disappointed but could understand his position and I was grateful that he was courteous enough to reply.  Many others don’t.

Edited 1 September , 2023 by FROGSMILE

[Piper42nd]

I'm looking forward to reading what he discovers.  Let's hope he doesn't forget.

[FROGSMILE]

3 minutes ago, Piper42nd said:

I'm looking forward to reading what he discovers.  Let's hope he doesn't forget.

Sadly he made no commitment.  If I remember I might ask him again.