::Soldiers food in the trenches::

Soldiers food in the trenches

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History Learning Site > World War One > 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

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