The Washington herald., 1918-02-15
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BY this time the corporal's nerves
had gone west, and in despair, he
said that the raisins were to be
turned over to the cook for DUR
(plum pudding). This decision ELECTED
little "grousing," but quiet was
finally restored.
biscuits, tins, one"
With his borrowed jackknife, the
corporal opened the tin of biscuits,
and told every one to help themselves
nobody responded to this invitation.
Tommy is fed up with biscuits.
Butter, tins, two"
Mine in one, ten in the other"
Another rumpus.
Pickles. mustard. bottles, one"
Nineteen names were put in a steel
helmet, the last one winning the pick
les. On the next issue there were
only eighteen names, as the winner is
eliminated until every man in the
section has won bottle.
The raffle is closely watched. be-
cause Tommy is suspicious when it
comes to gambling with his rations.
When the issue is finished, the cor
poral sits down and writes a letter
home, asking them IL they cannot get
some NJ. p. (member of ParliamenO
to have him transferred to the Royal
Flying Corps where he won't have to
issue rations.
At the different French estaminets
in the village. and at the canteens.
Tommy buys fresh eggs. milk; bread,
and pastry. Occasionally when he Is
flush, he invests in a tin of pears or
apricots. His pay is only a shilling
a day, "a cents, or cent an hour.
Just imagine. a cent an hour for be-
ing under fire-not much chance of
getting rich out there.
When he goes into the fire trench
(front line), Tommy's menu takes a
tumble. He carries in his haversack
what the government calls emergency
or iron rations. They are not sup
posed to be opened until Tommy dies
of starvation. They consist of one tin
of bully beef, four biscuits, a little
tin which contains tea, sugar, and
Oxo cubes concentrated beef tablets).
These. are only to be used when the
enemy establishes a curtain of shell
fire on the communication trenches,
thus preventing the carrying in of
rations, or when in an attack. bouy
of troops has been cut Off from its
base OF supplies.
The rations are brought up, at
night, by the company transport. This
is a section of the company in charge
of the quartermaster-sergea COM
posed of men, mules, and limbers
(two-wheeled wagons. which supplies
Tommy's wants while in the front
line. They are constantly under shell
fire. The rations are unloaded at the
entrance to the communication
trenches and are carried in by
men detailed for that purpose. The
quartermaster-sergea never goes
into the front-line trench. He doesn't
have to, and 1 have nev-r heard of
one volunteering to do so.
The company sergeant-major sorts
the rations, and sends them in.
Tommy's trench rations consist of
all the bully beef he can eat, biscuits,
cheese, timed butter (sometimes sew
enteen men to a TIM, jam, or a mar
malade, and occasionally fresh bread
(ten to a loafD. When it is possible
he gets tea and stew.
When things are quiet, and Fritz is
behaving, like gentleman, which
seldom happens, Tommy has the op-
portunity of making dessert. This is
trench pudding" 1t is made from
broken biscuits, condensed milk, Jam
"a little water added, slightly flavor
ed with mud-put into a canteen and
cooked over a little spirit stove known
as "Tommy's cooker"
"a firm in Blighty widely advertises
these cookers as a necessity for the
men in the trenches. Gullible people
buy them, ship them to the Tommies.
who. Immediately upon receipt of
same throw them over the parapet.
Sometimes a Tommy falls for the ad
and uses the cooker in a dugout to
the disgust and discomfort of the
other occupants)
This mess is stirred up In tin and
allowed to simmer over the flames
from the, cooker until Tommy decides
that 1t has reached a sufficient (glue-
likeJ consistency. He takes his bay
onet and by means Of the handle car
ries the mess up in the front trench
to cool. After II has cooled of he
tries to eat it. Generally one or two
Tommies In a section have cast-iron
stomachs and the tin is soon emptied.
Once I tasted trench pudding, but
only once
In addition to the regular ration
Issue Tommy uses another channel to
enlarge his menu.
In the English papers q Lonely
SOLDIER column Is run. This is for
the soldiers at the front who are sup
posed TO be without friends or rela-
tives. They write to the papers and
their names are published. Girls and
women in England snSwAr them and