The ‘trench ration’ was designed to feed a certain number of soldiers. It was used when the food prepared in the field kitchens could be delivered. It included corned beef, sardines, salmon, coffee, salt, sugar and even cigarettes. The ’emergency ration’ included highly caloric aliments, such as chocolate.
What did British soldiers eat for breakfast in ww1
I give you a day’s menu at random: Breakfast – bacon and tomatoes, bread, jam, and cocoa. Lunch – shepherd’s pie, potted meat, potatoes, bread and jam. Tea – bread and jam. Supper – ox-tail soup, roast beef, whisky and soda, leeks, rice pudding, coffee.
What was the diet of ww1 soldier
The daily requirement for each man was 4,300 calories, a clear recognition of the fact that soldiering was hard physical labour. The rations included tea, sugar, bread, cheese and tinned jam of an indefinable kind.
What were British ww1 soldier rations?
British Daily Ration, 1914:
1 1/4 lb fresh or frozen meat, or 1 lb preserved or salt meat; 1 1/4 lb bread, or 1 lb biscuit or flour; 4 oz. bacon; 3 oz. cheese; 5/8 oz. tea; 4 oz.
Did soldiers eat rats in ww1
Due to long periods of inactivity in the trenches with an abundance of rats, rat hunting became a sport and a source of entertainment for the Allied soldiers to stave off boredom.
What did soldiers eat for breakfast in ww1
A typical day, writes Murlin, might include breakfast of oatmeal, pork sausages, fried potatoes, bread and butter and coffee; lunch of roast beef, baked potatoes, bread and butter, cornstarch pudding and coffee; and dinner of beef stew, corn bread, Karo syrup, prunes, and tea.
What did the trenches smell like
The stink of war
Stinking mud mingled with rotting corpses, lingering gas, open latrines, wet clothes and unwashed bodies to produce an overpowering stench. The main latrines were located behind the lines, but front-line soldiers had to dig small waste pits in their own trenches.
What did soldiers drink in ww1
Drinking water was transported to front line trenches in petrol cans. It was then purified with chemicals. To help disguise the taste, most water was drunk in the form of tea, often carried cold in soldier’s individual water bottles.
What was the best food in ww1
- Bean soup and bread, followed by treacle pudding.
- Toad-in-the-hole (sausages in batter) and potatoes.
- Mutton stew and suet pudding.
- Fish and potato pie, then baked raisin pudding.
What did WWII soldiers eat
A typical breakfast box contained canned meat and eggs, biscuits, a compressed cereal or fruit bar, instant coffee and cigarettes. The contents in a typical dinner box, consumed during mid-day, included canned spread cheese, biscuits, a powdered drink mix, a candy bar, cigarettes, chewing gum and toilet paper.
How many meals did the soldiers get a day in ww1
An army announcement that British soldiers were being given two hot meals a day, however, caused widespread outrage among soldiers.
Did soldiers starve in ww1
“The soldiers in the trenches didn’t starve but they hated the monotony of their food,” says Dr Rachel Duffett, a historian at the University of Essex. “They were promised fresh meat and bread but the reality was often very different.”
How many calories did ww1 have
The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I, was around 40 million. There were 20 million deaths and 21 million wounded. The total number of deaths includes 9.7 million military personnel and about 10 million civilians.
How did soldiers sleep in ww1
Getting to sleep
When able to rest, soldiers in front line trenches would try and shelter from the elements in dugouts. These varied from deep underground shelters to small hollows in the side of trenches – as shown here.
What did the British eat in the trenches
Biscuits and salt meat were the staples, with the monthly vegetable ration often restricted to two potatoes and an onion per man. Many soldiers developed scurvy, which led to inflamed gums, making the hard biscuits difficult to eat.
What did British people eat during the war
Cured meats, hard cheeses, and bread in the form of ‘biscuits’ were the foods of choice for much of the history of warfare. The Army Service Corps also packed and distributed rations of sugar, tea, jam, and salt.
Did rats eat eyes first
They usually went for the eyes first and then they burrowed their way right into the corpse. One soldier described finding a group of dead bodies while on patrol: “I saw some rats running from under the dead men’s greatcoats, enormous rats, fat with human flesh. My heart pounded as we edged towards one of the bodies.
What did ww1 soldiers eat on Christmas Day
Did they enjoy a Christmas Dinner similar to what we enjoy today? According to one source,(1) American soldiers in France would receive a meal consisting of Christmas turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and mince pie.
What did soldiers in ww1 do for fun
In their spare time, soldiers wrote letters and diaries, drew sketches, read books and magazines, pursued hobbies, played cards or gambled. There were also opportunities for more-organised social activities.
What alcohol did ww1 soldiers drink
Some soldiers mixed beer or cider with white wine; thin red wine was sometimes mixed with army rum to add body; rough brandies and marcs could be chucked into wine to make it stronger; and “champagne” was sold with a range of adulterants.
Were there toilets in the trenches
They also had dug outs, for rest, and latrines. These latrines were trench toilets. They were usually pits dug into the ground between 1.2 metres and 1.5 metres deep. Two people who were called sanitary personnel had the job of keeping the latrines in good condition for each company.
What was the morning hate
The soldier fired into No Man’s Land, the area between the enemy trenches. Soldiers were ordered to keep firing even if they did not see anything. This was called the “morning hate.” The constant fire would keep the enemy from sneaking up on the trench.
How did soldiers wash in ww1
However, time spent out of the line at least offered the opportunity for the frontline soldier to get clean. Communal baths would be set up and lice-infested clothing steam-cleaned. The chance to be clean was another essential prop to morale. Even more important to soldiers was the food that they ate.
Did soldiers in ww1 shower
About once every week to ten days, Soldiers would go to the rear for their shower. Upon entering the shower area they turned in their dirty clothing. After showering they received new cloths. They had their choice for size: small, medium, or large.
What painkillers did they use in World War 1?
Sedative drugs such as alcohol, morphine, and opium helped to subdue the physical and emotional pain, relax, and alleviate the horrors of combat.
Why did soldiers drink coffee
Coffee, a staple before the Civil War in most households, became a luxury, and a beverage soldiers craved. It was what bolstered and also refueled them, increasing morale, providing comfort before a battle, and giving soldiers the fortitude to continue a march.
Why did Germany have no food in ww1
The ongoing Allied naval blockade kept out the food imports that Germany had come to rely upon in the prewar years to feed its burgeoning population of 70 million. Shortages included butter, margarine, cooking fat, sugar, potatoes, coffee, tea, fruit, and meat due to the lack of sufficient cattle feed.
Why did Germany run out of food in ww1
Food shortages were also attributed to a seizure of horses for the army, the conscription of a large part of the agricultural workforce, and a shortage of farming fertilizers caused by the diversion of nitrogen to explosives production. In response, the German government initiated a food rationing campaign.
What is bully beef in ww1
from the French word boulli, meaning boiled. Meat that is pickled or canned, usually corned beef.
What was the deadliest day of WW1
The heaviest loss of life for a single day occurred on , during the Battle of the Somme, when the British Army suffered 57,470 casualties.
How old was the oldest soldier in WW1
The oldest soldier to enlist in WWI is quartermaster sergeant Robert Frederick Robertson (UK, b. ), who was 71 years of age when he enlisted in late 1914. Robert’s service records were destroyed in a WW2 bombing raid, however census reports and newspaper articles date his enlistment as late 1914.
What were soldiers most afraid of in WW1
Trenches were dirty, smelly and rampant with disease. For soldiers, life in the trenches meant living in fear. In fear of diseases like cholera and trench foot. And, of course, the constant fear of enemy attack.
What did Russian soldiers eat in WW1
By the First World War (1914-18), Army food was basic, but filling. Each soldier could expect around 4,000 calories a day, with tinned rations and hard biscuits staples once again. But their diet also included vegetables, bread and jam, and boiled plum puddings. This was all washed down by copious amounts of tea.