Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-14
RATION OF RUM
SERVED TOMMY
IN THE TRENCHES
Wlneshops Are Open in the
War Zone and Their Propri-
etors Are Likely to Get Rich
on Soldiers,
M nonERr Il. MccOIlMICK

~
,copvright: 1918: By The Chicago frbune)
written Under Shell Fire ut Ypresr
March 28.--I wonder Il / can write a
thousand words about drink I'm the
allied armies without taking one
II would be easy to write Inspired
stuff on either side of that vcxed
question. a.,
could truly say. for instance, that
In a stay Of five days with French
and English bad not seen as many
drinks of whiskey taken (cheers from
could say with equal truth that
nine ont of ten men in both armies,
800 600 out or 100000 men. on the
fighting line drink alcoholic hever-
ages every day--and bring comfort
10 those who hold that beer, not Blu
cher, beat Napoleon.
Tommy Gets His Booze.
The British soldiers are served
ration of rum IN the trenches Just as
they are served beer aud biscuits.
| do not know whether Tommy takes "
straight. with 4 chaser. in a highbal,
/ or southern style as iulep. But the
| fact is he gets It officially from his
government ana the statement that
the British army ls on the water wa
gon Is the biggest canard OF the war
Whether the rum cheers him In ms
trials or irritates his oNertaxed nerves,
whether It gives him courage TO fight
or unsteadies his hand and dims ms
eye | must leave for those with lixed
views on the subject to decide. | am
writing facts not propaganda.
Furthermore. at every mess ! at
tended both French and British, the
officers all drank wine of the coun-
try.
Every French soldier in camp or II
the trenches Is given a bottle of wine
for supper every night.
The wine is drunk with water OF
without water. and when available
like water. AS far as appearances go
II has the same effect as water
This is not the wine" of the lob
ster palaces that opens with poi
Ike "75" and breaks into waves
of creamy foam.
: Wine In Ink Bottles.
This wine comes in wine bottles OF
vichy bottles or cleared out ink bot
5 ties. When emptied they are takcI
out and refilled by the orderly, from
some cask, | suppose, although | hat
{ feeling that II ran from a tap.
= There is no vintage or ancestral
name to this wine. 1t is red wine ant
' white wine, democratic and inter
= changeable. Returning from ARA
!, our cavalry officer drank first tum
bier of red and then a tumbler Q
: white "le feu me dome toujours sOit,
t he said. II also gave him appetite, TO
= the way he ate would have shamed
: hired man.
4 An the wine .a5ops in .ihe war zon
are open and their owners will all b
Waldorfs and Astors If the front doc
not move soon.
The line is held 10000 men to tn
mile. men who daily undergo Tn
! "feu" and get the "soif. -
At Ypres today we lunched at a
inn whose roof had been blown off b
she'll / asked the proprietor VIII
: he did not move into another build
in. The license was only for the place
was the reply.
: Nobody Intoxicated.
$ ] took q picture of a little win
i shop Just in the rear of the Englis
+ lines at -. 1t was within long riff
: range of the German trenches. A ma
e had been hit by a bullet near ther
y a few days before.
= Off duty the British soldiers drin
beer; when they can get 1t, the Frenc
, wine. Strong drink is available j
G many places but is not in demand
S An English officer told me that tn
c army canteen established this habit
4 However, he has been through 81
i campaigns and at home would not b
y allowed to speak on military subjects
t In the time | was at the front
4 never saw soldier of either arm
{ who in voice or manner gave any sig
G of intoxication.