Dehydrated Meat.
Did anyone ever have the enduring delight of Dehydrated meat ?
In Bone (Anaba) North Africa, is was learned that in order to save space in the Merchant ships bringing us food and sustenance from the U.K. In U Boat infested waters, the Army Kitchens in their quest for medals had developed a procedure to “Dehydrate” meat thus reducing it’s bulk for transportation. On arrival at the consuming kitchens overseas it was therefore subject to yet another procedure
to regain it’s initial bulk. These procedures were quite naturally, subject to the Official secrets act of 1938 sect 5 – para 6 – line 9. So we were completely in innocence of the effects of these procedures at any stage of the development.
The day duly arrived when we were served – it must be said – lavish proportions of this new development in the progress of man, to which all and sundry enjoyed, or at least the enjoyment was apparent inasmuch as the Orderly Officer heard NO complaints. It should be noted that the Orderly Officer that day was the strapping 6’4” – 250 pound, South Africa International Rugby player, Captain Christopher Newton – Thompson M.C.
It should also be noted that the Latrine was a gold standard version of those things which had been hand made and sandpapered by a journeyman joiner, who doubled as tank gunner for the writers crew.
It was later in the early evening when the aforesaid Dehydrated meat had a most unusual effect . Our gold standard latrine was in overdrive for some time with some victims not making it all the way, and the evidence was masked by the onset of sudden darkness which happens in the lea of the Atlas Mountains.
The senior Non Commissioned Officers of our squadron invariably ate their dinners as only gentlemen should, later than the other ranks and therefore were somewhat in ignorance of the trials and tribulations which had befallen the rankers earlier and so when they felt the necessary urge to visit the latrine – the overstrained main beam broke with a mighty crack and allowed the Squadron Sergeant Major – the Squadron QMS – the Squadron Sergeant Cook and the REME Sergeant Fitter to land in the mire, shall we say.
Hidden smiles broke out all over the regiment for the next few days and many blue pencils were wasted on letters home. Strangely – it was the last time we saw that meat !
Lambs hearts smothered with a liquid of indeterminate origin on a cold tin plate was quite another thing for breakfast !
In Bone (Anaba) North Africa, is was learned that in order to save space in the Merchant ships bringing us food and sustenance from the U.K. In U Boat infested waters, the Army Kitchens in their quest for medals had developed a procedure to “Dehydrate” meat thus reducing it’s bulk for transportation. On arrival at the consuming kitchens overseas it was therefore subject to yet another procedure
to regain it’s initial bulk. These procedures were quite naturally, subject to the Official secrets act of 1938 sect 5 – para 6 – line 9. So we were completely in innocence of the effects of these procedures at any stage of the development.
The day duly arrived when we were served – it must be said – lavish proportions of this new development in the progress of man, to which all and sundry enjoyed, or at least the enjoyment was apparent inasmuch as the Orderly Officer heard NO complaints. It should be noted that the Orderly Officer that day was the strapping 6’4” – 250 pound, South Africa International Rugby player, Captain Christopher Newton – Thompson M.C.
It should also be noted that the Latrine was a gold standard version of those things which had been hand made and sandpapered by a journeyman joiner, who doubled as tank gunner for the writers crew.
It was later in the early evening when the aforesaid Dehydrated meat had a most unusual effect . Our gold standard latrine was in overdrive for some time with some victims not making it all the way, and the evidence was masked by the onset of sudden darkness which happens in the lea of the Atlas Mountains.
The senior Non Commissioned Officers of our squadron invariably ate their dinners as only gentlemen should, later than the other ranks and therefore were somewhat in ignorance of the trials and tribulations which had befallen the rankers earlier and so when they felt the necessary urge to visit the latrine – the overstrained main beam broke with a mighty crack and allowed the Squadron Sergeant Major – the Squadron QMS – the Squadron Sergeant Cook and the REME Sergeant Fitter to land in the mire, shall we say.
Hidden smiles broke out all over the regiment for the next few days and many blue pencils were wasted on letters home. Strangely – it was the last time we saw that meat !
Lambs hearts smothered with a liquid of indeterminate origin on a cold tin plate was quite another thing for breakfast !
posted by Tomcann at 1:40 am
5 Comments:
Frank -
the description of that "dehydrating" procedure sounds as disgusting as the actual product was to eat !
Only time we had to issue a prommissory note was when a bright spark corporal insisted on his version of the anti mosquito mixture was correct. So, the lads mixed up 99 shovels of arsenic to one shovel of sand with the inevitable result- all the villager's cattle were dead - all the vultures which came to clear up the envirionment were also dead - the villagers who looked upon a vulture as a gourmet treat
were filling their local hospital and so a "note" was handed to the head honcho to the effect that it would all be paid for in the bye and bye - and it was signed - on the spot by one Winston S Churchill - a few days later - we took off for Italy !
In the Occupied Netherlands, during the winter of 1944 / 1945, I have heard people say they were even reduced to eating tulip and daffodil bulbs. Many of them were only saved when British aeroplanes dropped off supplies of food for the civilians in the last weeks of the war. I used to think that was really bad.
Then, I've just read a recently published book by a lady of Polish origin now living in Millom, Cumbria about her family's experiences in WW2. This covers the time they lived in a free Poland, prior to 1939, to present day Millom via a Gulag in the Soviet Union, followed by spells in India, Africa and Scotland.
Especially during the time the family were in the Siberian Gulag, the diet and hardships were unbelievable when you think about it today. The dehydrated meat and died potatoes you were getting at home or in the Forces were like dining in a five star restaurant by comparison, although you would not have realised it at the time! An army fights on its stomach, as they say. Your diet could have been worse.........! You did win the war on it as well.
(For reference the book I have just read is:
'Slaves in Paradise' by Leokadia T. Majewicz , 1st published in the Polish language in 2004 ISBN 83-920041-4-0. The copy I have was printed and published in Poland, but translated into English).
Joseph -
I am not saying that other people were not worse off than we were - they were - and we saw some of it after we landed in Italy when a whole village seemingly fighting over our swill bin - those people were also starving and also had nothing - certainly no hope of anything happening in a hurry.As the Italian Government and all their functions had ceased to be operational to the detriment of most of the lowest socio - economic groups.
We also gave up half of our rations to feed the Austrians immediately after the war and this continued until another harvest in 1946 - and went lumberjacking in the Leoben woods to supply the Viennese with logs to burn in their stoves while we burned up calories in the woods.
Peter's account of his teen age years in Northern Italy is replete with tales of his father and himself travelling for miles to the Po valley for a sack of rice and other staples to their diet.
Too right an army marches on it's stomach - try marching the ten miles from the docks of Algiers - in full serge uniform with complete packs plus kit bags, and arms - to Cap Matifou
in 90 degrees of searing heat - where the cooks at the transit camp welcomed us with a plateful of bully beef stew - complete with assorted flies of Africa !
Or fighting all day in a Churchill Tank where the temperature would sometimes hit 140 degrees - then refuelling - loading with ammo - water - oil- cleaning guns - engine etc BEFORE sitting down to enjoy a tin of M & V which might have been packed in the first war !Then standing two hours guard before sleep ?
All I was trying to say was that the very look of dehydrated meat was enough to set you running for the Latrine.
What was infinitly worse was to finally get to the head of the line up on a bitterly cold morning around 6 a.m. and to have a lambs heart land on your cold tin plate with a gravy of indeterminate origin applied - that was and is unforgettable
but then - no doubt some people in Holland or Poland would have welcomed that diet ?
It was incredible what you all had to put up with for diet. What you needed was 'Greens'.
A good clean water supply must have been a problem at various times as well I imagine? Some of the dried food packs they have now, at least for mountaineering, are not bad so long as you can add some kind of water. The Army rations are pretty similar to these I imagine, or so a work colleague of mine tells me (he was in the Royal Engineers in the late 1960s and 1970s). You can purify the water to some extent, even if it is somewhat brackish.
I've read Peter's accounts and it was a real struggle in the North of Italy, especially in 1944 / 1945. Those of us born after the end of rationing can thank our lucky stars!
Joseph -
When we were in Austria -1945/47 we first lived in an apartment block in a place called Knittelfeld - this was indeed luxury as it was totally devoid of furniture with the exception of an electric stove - which worked. Next door was a field of potatoes ... and the hills were - at 0500 were alive in mushrooms, which my co-driver Frank Alison 14377211(now retired as Chief Detective Insp. of Staffs police) was detailed to collect sufficient for our troop.Far be it for a policeman to be accused of theft - this was in the nature of "scrounging" - perfectly acceptable !
So by 0630 we sat down to our first breakfast of Spuds and mushrooms followed by our half ration second b'fast at 0800 - it was rough living but , of course there was always an accounting and we watched the mess funds being depleted to pay off the farmer for his loss of spuds - like half a field.
It was indeed rough living - but as you say - we did win the war - and survived ! But unlike Frank - we did not hold a machine gun to anyones head for a few scraps of cabbage or the odd carrot !
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