Soldiers food in the trenches
Food for soldiers in the trenches during World War One was at times considered a luxury. Getting decent hot food from the field kitchens to the front line trenches could be impossible when a battle was either imminent or in full flow. When soldiers were at stand-down, food was easier to acquire and both British and German troops could expect certain food to be available with a degree of frequency.
The theoretical daily rations for a British soldier were:
|
20 ounces of bread |
1/10 gill lime if vegetables not issued |
|
16 ounces of flour instead of above |
½ gill of rum |
|
3 ounces of cheese |
maximum of 20 ounces of tobacco |
|
5/8 ounces of tea |
1/3 chocolate – optional |
|
4 ounces of jam |
4 ounces of oatmeal instead of bread |
|
½ ounce of salt |
1 pint of porter instead of rum |
|
1/36 ounce of pepper |
4 ounces of dried fruit instead of jam |
|
1/20 ounce of mustard |
4 ounces of butter/margarine |
|
8 ounces of fresh vegetables or |
2 ounces of dried vegetables |
The theoretical daily rations for a German soldier were:
|
26 ½ ounces of bread or |
|
|
17 ½ of field biscuits or |
|
|
14 ounces of egg biscuit |
|
|
53 ounces of potatoes |
|
|
4 ½ ounces vegetables |
|
|
2 ounces dried vegetables |
|
