RUM

[Jim Clay]

My mother had always warned me about the evils of spirits and now I see what she means. The ******* had stolen my whiskey. I wonder if anybody else on the forum has experienced anything similar.

Next week, I will be mostly experimenting on myself with a trench club.

Steve

Amazing, no-one else on the Forum has had (or will admit to ) similar disturbing experiences at the hands of those pesky spirits. It has surely happened to me more than once in my younger, more dissolute , days. I couldn't understand it; your story makes it all clear .

Be careful with that trench club next week.

Jim

[Guest]

Absolutely correct but, in these days, it would have been a race between umpteen other causes of death and the rum, as to which was going to get you. If you lived long enough for the cirrhosis to kill you , you would have been ' that old guy that drinks the rum'.

Very true. But I suppose my point is that the powers that be knew little about healthy living - and the quantities stated were the naval ration, where the survival chances were greater.

[truthergw]

Very true. But I suppose my point is that the powers that be knew little about healthy living - and the quantities stated were the naval ration, where the survival chances were greater.

A look at the medical ' science ' of the day will stop you building that time machine right away. We shouldn't mock them too much though, a look at the treatment available in 14-18 is an eyeopener. In my lifetime, appendicitis has been down graded from life-threatening and diphtheria has ceased to be a childhood scourge.

[david murdoch]

It is still possible to obtain Pusser's Rum.Before 1980 when production was resumed by Charles Tobias in the West Indies,the rights to production and blending were owned by the Admiralty who had sat on the secret for 10 years from when the daily issue was curtailed on 31 July 1970.(said to be "Black Tot Day") It is a blending of dark rums from Guyana,Trindad and the British Virgin Islands.

According to Pussers (the name is derived from Purser,the officer who had the responsibility for Pusser Rum daily allocation),the allocation per head was a pint per day, in half pint allocations, at a strength of 95.5 proof ie 54.5% alcohol by volume, undiluted.

From 1740 when it became apparent that the daily issue was having an adverse effect on crew discipline and performance, the issue of rum was reduced to half a pint and diluted with a quart of water with added sugar and lime juice.Grog had finally arrived,named after the nickname of Admiral Vernon (Old Grog) who had introduced the new measures.

I have had a few bottles of Pussers pass through my mess.One and bit bottles to go.It is still a favourite of the ex sea going types.

Think when you drink a Pussers Tot, a royalty is paid by the present owners of Pussers Rum to the Royal Navy Sailors' Fund.

You can still get Prussers - Check the website prussers.com it gives history and (importantly) info on where to source in the UK.

Back to the WW1 rum - I would guess a large percentage would have come from Trinidad, being a larger place than some of the other Indies they would have the capability to produce the quantities required - must have been a lot!

Today the duty free in Port of Spain is loaded with different types of rum, from white to dark. Puncheon is 75% vol, and there is one from Tobago which is stronger still. American Airlines won't let you take this stuff on thier planes - I think they class it as "weapons grade"

There are plenty good rum sites - trinidadrum.com for one, but do a google search Trinidad/rum brings up lots of interesting sites - it is still a major export.

David

[CarylW]

From The BEF Times September 1917 with which are incorporated The Wipers Times, The "New Church" Times, the Kemmel Times & The Somme Times

Excelsior 1917

The shades of night were falling fast

When up the muddy CT passed

A youth who bore, through looking glum

A mighty gallon jar of rum

Excelsior!

"Try not to pass" the sergeant said

"The blasted Hun might shoot you dead,

He's sniping near, he's shellingfar,

Perhaps he'll hit that blooming jar, so leave it 'ere"

The youth moved on, no word spoke he

He wallowed up that old CT.,

His visage grim showed pale in light

Where star shells glimmered through the night

Excelsior!

"Stay, stay! my lad" the corp'ril cried,

"Another who the Hun defied

He got a bullet through the 'tum'

And broke his blooming jar of rum

So got no more"

The youth's sad face showed grim and pale,

He struggled on into the gale

Passed whiz-bangs urgent in their flight

Where bullets pinged thrugh deepest might

And rain did pour

"Ere Alfred, stop" the private hailed

The sad youth's face but paled and paled

"Don't try that trench, the bloomin' 'un

Is sweeping it with many a gun

'E'll 'it the jar

"Ah! stay me not" the youth replied

"I must get there what'er betide

Though hell may storm both near and far

I'll get there with this needed jar"

He strode some more

At last his goal appears in sight

And blatant minnies rack the night

He staggers to the Coy. H Q

And to the precious jar he's true

He still it bore

"Oh 'ell!" the sergeant ragins stormed

Then to the job in hand he warmed

He told the youth who proudly bore

The jar through all! He told him more and more

And more and more

He told him all about his past

His future, present, and at last

He paused for breath, he gasped and died,

And dying fell he down beside

An empty jar

.............................

Another bit from The BEF Times

Our Short Story

There was once a teetotal Q.M.

The End

[healdav]

Surely one reason for issuing naval rum rather than whisky would have been that

a. The Admiralty would have had large stocks of rum (and the security arrangements that had to be made to stop Jack stealing it were amazing),

b. They had contracts for its supply so it was only a case of increasing quantities, not deciding how much and when and how.

[Jim Clay]

From The BEF Times September 1917...

Brilliant! Two wonderful examples of WW1 military humour. Ta.

Jim