Tag: Food

13 May 1918

Monday. May 13th.  French officers and orderlies were issued with their weekly issue of French biscuits (from the French Government).  I never saw any biscuit like these before the War: You simply soak one for a few moments in cold water, put it into a hot oven; or over a hot stove, and, in half an hour, it swells to twice the size, and you have a lump of practically new bread in place of the biscuit.  We bought large numbers of them from the French orderlies at ½ mark (6d) each.  I myself got about 45.
1.30 p.m.  Issue by a Committee of free Red Cross food from Switzerland.  Each officer got a little tea, condensed milk, cocoa, pressed beef, biscuits, cheese, and dripping.  Those of us who had been at Rastatt could scarcely believe our eyes.  Bought glass jars, and enamel plates.  We certainly shan’t stay here long.
2.0 p.m.  Twenty of us, all R.F.C., taken and carefully searched, with all our belongings; numbers of compasses and other useful articles confiscated.  My flying goggles were taken, which I had carefully cherished as a souvenir.
5.0 pm.  Took train for an unknown destination in Bavaria.  Our German officer was again a most courteous and considerate fellow.  He got us dinner on Monday night from a station restaurant during a long stop, roast beef, potato and lettuce salad.  Moreover we had all our Red Cross stuff, so we lived like kings.

10 May 1918

Friday. May 10th. Had a short railway journey to Karlsruhe, a very jolly/country town.  Stuck in an ex-hotel there, and locked four in a room.  Usual canteen things, cigarettes, sardines &c. brought up to us.  We cashed cheques on the spot, I for £5.*  Food quite good though distinctly more-ish and largely vegetarian.  Still, after Rastatt, I’ll never grumble again – at least, not seriously.
* My Rastatt cheque has not materialised yet. May 28th

22 April-9 May 1918

Sunday. April. 21st to Friday. May. 10th     Rastatt
The camp was composed of about seven different blocks, of which two were occupied by British officers, and the remainder by French and Portuguese.  In the two British blocks when I arrived were nearly 1500 British officers!  In our block, No 2, were about 12 huts, each containing about 70 or 80 bunks in double tiers.  We 800 had about 80 yards square to walk about in, in between the huts; for the first week of my stay there I could get no book to read, and since, at first the weather was bad, and we were were forced to stay indoors, the boredom was intolerable.  Moreover, the quality of the food provided was very poor, and the only cooking appliances there would not permit of anything but boiling, so we lived entirely on soups, and meatless soup at that.  At its best, it was a thick mixture of barley, bean meal, potatoes in their skin (of which fully a half were bad) and soup extract; though the changes were rung on such things as carrots (so called, but in reality mangel-wurzels) swedes; semolina, beans, and very occasionally a few scraps of meat; at its worst it was a mixture of chopped up bad potatoes, swedes, and mangels.  We had soup twice a day, and in addition, a ration each of a fifth of a loaf of black bread.  A very fair days meal was this

8.30.      Coffee.  Sugar.  Bread.
12.30.    Soup of Barley, Carrots (sic), Potatoes, Soup Extract

3.30       Tea or Coffee
5.30       Soup of Potatoes, Carrots, Beetroot
Great competition for ‘Buckshee’ soup

About once a week at tea-time, they issued a spoonful of jam or an ounce of some sausage of, I think, pigs-blood.  We were all hungry there all of the time, and I myself used to feel very dizzy and weak at times.  We occasionally were able to buy biscuits of some kind of meal from the canteen at 3d each but there was so great a rush on them, that a canteen committee was got up to ensure equal distribution.  On a good day one might get four biscuits.  Towards the end of my stay we were able to buy tins of sardines at 1/6 each, and bags of dried fruit (but very inferior to our English) at 5/- for about ¾ lb, but my money ran out after 10 days, and it took about three weeks there to get a cheque cashed.
We were vaccinated once there, and inoculated three times.  It was difficult to avoid becoming lousy.  After ten days I got a hot shower bath, had my hair clipped short, and had a sort of green chemical paste painted over my body, which took off all the hair.  Looked, and still look, more like a convict than anything but feel rather happier.
My second day I ran into P.D. Rogers, of KRRs, who was in my section as a Cadet at Oxford.  We had some long talks of the old times at Oxford, and succeeded, without much difficulty, in making each others mouths water very freely over past feeds.  (While I am on the subject, I must say that my thoughts have so constantly harped upon food, that I am seriously thinking of editing a book – ‘Meals I have eaten’ by R.a.B.)  We arranged a great platoon dinner to take place (please God) after the war, of all the survivors of No.14. platoon, Keble College, Oxford – or, if they are many enough, a sectional dinner.  He met two of them in Captivity – Styles, of No. 5 Section and Taylor of No 7 section.  I heard from him too that Cameron has followed Bennett to the Indian Army – good luck to him.  I heard here too that poor old Battersby has gone west, gassed.  It seemed difficult to realise that just a year ago I was a Cadet at Oxford.  I little thought then, as I celebrated by 23rd birthday at the Clarendon with Brown, that I should spend my 24th here.  Still, God knows, I’ve no right to grumble, I might easily have been ‘full fathom five’ by now.
There recurred very little there to make special mention of.  What little country we could see was very fine and hilly; ranges of hills, stretching away into the distance, covered by the Black Forest, with stretches of vineyards in places.  May 1st.  Dad’s birthday.
Batches of officers were sent away to permanent camps every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, usually going to stay at the clearing camp at Karlsruhe for a few days first.  You may guess what suppressed excitement there was before each list.  On my second day at Rastatt I found out that an R.F.C. pilot named Hanna was in the other block, so I managed to get a note taken in to him.  He came see me next day for an hour (you would have thought we’d not seen each other for years) and we solemnly recited our respective adventures since we parted.  He left Rastatt on the Friday sending a note to say he thought he was going to Freiburg.
To cut a long and painful story short, after 3 weeks, feeling halfstarved, and fed up to the teeth (but not with food) 8 of us, R.F.C. officers were moved to Karlsruhe.

20 April 1918

On Saturday. April 20th.  Fourteen of us were sent to Karlsrühe.  We started about 10. a.m. and had a German officer in charge, who was very decent.  We had rations, cheese, meatpaste, sandwiches, and a boiled egg, from the Hospital and in addition he got us a hot supper that night, a rissole, macaroni and beaucoup potatoes in their skins at the restaurant of  a station at which we stopped, and a hot lunch next day – goat’s meat and potatoes – the last decent meal we were to have for three weeks.  The money for these meals he subtracted from the amounts to our credit on his list (for I had cashed at Hannover a cheque for £4).

12-19 April 1918

Thursday, April 11th to Saturday, April 20th   Hannover
First morning saw specialist who examined our wounds and spouted out a diagnosis to a writing clerk.  I felt rather an outsider at being the only unwounded officer there, but he had so much to dictate to the sweating clerk about my sprains that I took heart of grace again.  There was a barber’s shop in the building: went and had a 14 days growth of beard removed.  Felt more like a Christian.  Could get a bath any time by paying a mark.  Had four during the ten days.  Small and very limited English library there.  Read ‘Stingaree Stories’ – jolly good!! & ‘Henry Esmond’ – essentially a prisoner-of-war book.  Hospital full of all nationalities, and to stroll in the garden was like entering the Tower of Babel – or a monkey house.  British, German, French, Belgian, Roumanian, Russian – all were there.  The garden had a fair sized stream flowing past the end, and one could see Hannover Town Hall with its gilded dome which used to catch the sunlight.  It is a very fine city.  We bought most of our immediate requirements through the interpreter, such things as soap, razor, brush, comb, knives, suit case, tooth-brush, tooth paste.  The soap (about the size of a sample piece in England) was very poor and fabulously dear.  It was comical to have to pay more for it than for the razor.  Most thing are much dearer than in England.
Our daily fare was the best I had had since being in Germany:
8.   Two small slices bread and jam.  Coffee, milk.
10.   Two small slices bread and vurst (sort of potted meat containing onion).  Coffee.
12.   Square meal.  Meat and as much potato as one could eat; followed by a sweet, a cross between marzipan and coloured blancmange. (On meatless days, a very large thick and very satisfying pancake with boiled apple).  Soup.
3.   Two small slices bread and butter.  Coffee.  Sugar.
6.   Two small sandwiches (4 slices) with either cheese, meatpaste or a boiled egg.  Coffee or tea (the latter a substitute of course).

In addition to this we had divided between us by the senior officer, an English Major, something from the parcels of officers who had gone to Holland, so that with the first meal every day we had porridge which we ate with the sugar saved from the 3 o’clock meal of the day before; while every evening we had a small piece of bully beef or chicken or salmon, or biscuits, or some other equally acceptable dainty.  After about five days I was put by myself into a room with Polish, Russian and French officers.  Had my meals next door with three old British prisoners of war, who were receiving parcels so that I did very well, and ate white bread from Copenhagen.  I played a good deal of chess with a French Major and Captain, but beat them fairly easily.  The Pole however was a much better player, and we had some fine games.  I confess I chiefly won through his impatience.  He gave me a tin opener.
On Sunday April 14. I got off my first letter home giving an address, with all about myself and much talk of parcels.  Also one card to Berne, Switzerland, asking for two loaves of bread a week*.  And one to the Red Cross, Geneva, asking that a wire should be sent home, saying that I was safe and a prisoner of war.  That wire should have been home by my birthday.
About Monday April 15th.  The Dutch Ambassador or a representative from Berlin visited to inspect conditions etc.  He took our addresses, and promised to send wires for us from Berlin to say we were safe.  Nothing like making sure.  I wish I knew how things are going at home.

* (Which I haven’t seen yet – May 27th)
(nor yet – June 15th)

 

3 to 8 April 1918

Tuesday evening April 2nd to Monday April 8th} Le Cateau
In hospital at Le Cateau.  All I needed was rest. Stayed in bed all day.  Foot, ankle and knee got rather better.  Could hobble about a bit.  Rheumatism at nights.  Food not so bad judging by after standards.
8am: Thick slice of black bread, with traces of butter. Coffee (a quaint substitution for coffee, which is of course unobtainable.  Made, some say, from burnt barley.  Others, from acorns).  No sugar or milk.
10am: Thick slice of bread with traces of butter or jam.
12pm: Basin full of soup.  Very good.  Macaroni, Barley, Semolina, or something similar.  Sometimes as second basinfull.
3pm: Bread with butter or jam, and coffee.
6pm: Two slices of bread with meat paste or Limburger cheese, and coffee.
Nothing much happened during my stay. Several men died. One of ours, a DCM fellow too, cut his throat at midnight one night and died instanter.  Poor fellow was probably mad with pain.  Thursday April 4th. Sent off a letter.  Friday April 5th. Warned to be ready to proceed as a sitting case to hospital at Cologne.

1 April 1918

Monday April 1st, very appropriately.  All Fool’s Day, discovered 2 Frenchmen, 3 Tommies, & a Sergeant Major in same hut.  About 12 got first food since we were captured.  Some stew (uneatable) and a piece of black bread and meat each: My thoughts at this time were uncontrollable and went back irresistibly
(i). To the tea which had waited in vain since 6pm
(ii) To the only half eaten box of chocolates I had left on my table
(ii) To the full whisky flask I usually carried – and had left behind
About 2pm set out to walk to Bernes.  After 200 yards I gave it up and sat down at side of road.  Got a lift into Mons, and so was separated from Hanna whom I did not see for weeks, and then only for an hour.  Had my foot inspected at a Field Dressing Station in Mons (got a field p.c. off from here), and, as it was about twice the natural size, I got a lift with a lorry of wounded to a casualty clearing station behind Bellenglise.  After two hours wait there, a slice of bread and jam, and an inspection, it was decided that I was not wounded, and must walk to a British Officers Clearing Camp at Le Cateau, in charge of two NCO.s.  The N.C.Os. however, proved more merciful, and caught a lorry for me into Ramiecourt, a village where we stopped the night.  Coffee, bread, jam then.  Next morning, thence by three different train journeys one standing on the engine, and two in a carriage, to LeCateau.

30 March 1918

Saturday March 30th.  Early flip. usual work.  Went up in new machine.  Very right wing heavy.  Badly hit by Archie.  Main spar mostly shot away.  Crawled home gently, and got back OK.  After tea went a-bathing with Fry and McGregor in the old place behind the Cathedral.  Got an antiquated taxi in.  Bought a large box of chocolates.  Caught a C.O.s car back.  Had dinner – a jolly good one (how one’s thoughts do harp on food nowadays) in the new Flight mess, a large cottage.  Took in two new packs of cards but yarned  all the evening.