The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-06-02
| 0IH7 eY |
IARIhuS euT EnFYl

He ordered me TO go with MIN ana
help him draw the next days rations,
also told me to take my waterproof.
Every evening from each platoon or
machine-gun section, a lance corporal
and private go to the quartermaster
sergeant at the company stores and
draw ratfons for the following day.
The Quarter" as the quartermaster
sergeant is called, receives daily from
the orderly room Captains off1ce) a
slip showing the number of men en-
titled to rations, so there Is no chance
of putting anything over on him. Many
arguments take place between the
quarter" and the platoon noncom, but
the former always wins out. Tommy
says the quarter" got his job because
he was a burglar in civil life.
Then I spread the waterproof sheet
on the ground. while the quartermas
ter's batman dumped the rations on it.
The corporal was smoking a flag.
carried the rations back to the billet.
The corporal was still smoking q flag.
How envfed him. But when the issue
commenced my envy died. and / real.
ICED that the first requisite of a non
, commissioned officer on active service
is diplomacy. There were 10 men in
our section, and they soon formed q
semicircle around us after the corporal
had called out, "Rations up"
The quarterIflaster sergeant had
given a slip to the corporal on which
was written a list of the rations Sit.
ting on the floor, using a wooden box
as a table, the issue commenced. On
the left of the corporal the rations
were piled. They consisted of the fol.
lowing:
Six loaves of fresh bread, each loaf
of a different size, perhaps one out OF
the six being as fat as a pancake, the
result of an army service corps man
| placing a box of bully beef on it dur
ing transportation.
Three tins of jam. one apple and the
other two plum
Seventeen Bermuda onions, all diff
| ferent sizes.
| A piece of cheese in the shape Of =
wedge.
Two one-pound tins of butter.
handful of raisins.
A tin of biscuits. or as Tommy calls
them ''jaw breakers"
! A bottle of mustard pickles.
The bully beef" spuds. condensed
milk, fresh meat, bacon and "Maccno-
chic rations" Ga can filled with meat,
vegetables and greasy water) had been,
| turned over to the company cook to
make a stew for next days dinner. He,
| also received the tea, sugar, salt. pep
per and flour.
l. Scratching his head, the corporal
studied the slip issued to him by the
quarter. Then in a slow, mystiaed
voice he read out, mo. 1 section, 10
men. Bread, loaves. six" He looked
puzzled and soliloquized I'm musing
voice:
| "Six loaves, nineteen men. Let's see,
that's three In loaf for fifteen men
well, to make 1t even. four Of you'll
have to muck in on one loaf"
The four that got stuck made howl,
but to no avail. The bread was dished
| out. Pretty soon from a far corner of
the billet. three indignant Tommies &C
| costed the corporal with:
/, "what do you call this. a loaf of
breadf Looks more like a sniping
plate"
The corporal answered:
swell. don't blame me. didn't bake
it; somebody's got TO get IT. so shut
up until dish out these blinkin' ra-
tons"
Then the corporal started on the
jam
Jam. three tfns-apple one, plum
two. Nineteen men. three tins. Six
I'm a tin makes twelve men for two tins,
seven in the remaining tin"
/ He passed around the jam, and
/ there was another riot. Some didn't
like apple. while others who received
/ plum were partial TO apple. After a
while differences were adjusted and
the issue went on.
Bermuda onions. seventeen"
The corporal avoided a row by say
ing that he did not want an onion. and
1 said they make your breath smell. so
1 guessed I would do without one too.
I The corporal looked his gratitude
Cheese. pounds. two"
The corporal borrowed a jackknife
| (corporals are always borrowing), and
sliced the cheese-each slicing bring
| ing forth a pert remark from the on
| lockers as to the corporars eyesight.
"Raisins, ounces, eight"
| BY this time the corporars nerves
| had gone west, and In despair he said
| that the raisins were to be turned over
| to the cook for DUR Opium pudding).
This decision ELECTED little "grous-
| ing" but quiet was finally restored.
biscuits, tins, one"
With his borrowed jackkrife, the
corporal opened the tin OF biscuits, and
| told everyone to help themselves-no7
body responded to this invitation.
Tommy is 'fed up" with biscuits.
Butter, tins, two"
mine in one, ten In the other"
Another rumpus.