RATIONS

Britain sent a total of 3,240,948 tons of food to the soldiers fighting in France and Belgium during the First World War. 300 000 field workers to cook and supply the food were employed by the British Army. At the start of the war the troops were provided with 10 ounces of meat and 8 ounces of vegetables a day. As the army grew these rations had to be reduced to 6 ounces of meat a day. But later on those soldiers not in the front line only had meat 9 days out of 30.

On the Western Front there was a lot of criticism of the quantity and the quality of food given to the troops, their main intake being canned corned beef, bread and biscuits. Due to a shortage of flour in the winter of 1916 the bread was made using dried ground turnips. By this stage the main food was pea soup with some lumps of horsemeat. Not only were vegetables used in the soup but weeds such as nettles.

With it taking up to eight days for the bread to reach the front line it was usually stale on arrival so the soldiers solved this problem by crushing it and adding whatever else was available. The food was also always cold as it had to be carried in a container up the communication trenches. The Army attempted to keep the food shortage from the enemy and announced that the soldiers were provided with two hot meals a day. They received 200 000 letters from furious soldiers pointing out the truth. They claimed that the men in the trenches were treated appallingly but the officers were well fed.

When the advance came food became a bigger problem. The men all carried emergency food called iron rations. This consisted of a can of corned beef, a few biscuits and a tin of tea and sugar. These iron rations were not to be opened without the permission of an officer.

Shortage of food and the poor condition of what was available caused a lot of ill health among the soldiers in the trenches and left them weak and vulnerable to disease.

Conditions in the trenches were so awful that some soldiers went to extreme lengths to escape them. Some were so desperate to get home and hoped for a 'blighty' wound which would mean that they would be sent home. Some inflicted wounds on themselves in a desperate attempt to be relieved of their front-line period of duty. To inflict a wound on oneself was a capital offence and if a man was found guilty he could face execution by a firing squad. In the British Army a total of 3,894 men were found guilty of self-inflicting wounds - however none were actually executed.

Others simply killed themselves, their lives in the trenches simply too awful to bear. The most commonly used method of suicide was to place the barrel of their rifle against the head and press the trigger with their toe. Some unable to endure any more, stood on the firing step so as they could be shot by an enemy sniper.

Remember Hagar, the worse an armies food the more powerful the army is. Or so the saying goes...

So there you go. Feeding your soldiers lobster thermador will get you no where.

Not to belittle, but the Prussians attack on the scene sealed their fate.  It wasn't a Brit only fight.

They should never have gotten rid of the NAAFI!!!