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'Baccy 'n' a Brew' or, how Grandad got his 'Fags and Tea'...
So...pull up a sandbag an I'll tell yer a tale...Remember my grandad, that's him good old 23933 Pvt Spenceley GW, stood in his trench with the rest of his company of the 5th Batt. Yorkshire Regt, watching and waiting in case Fritz came a callin' but what did they actually do all day?... well apart from cleaning his rifle and shaving in muddy water,
well he smoked, A LOT!... and why not they were free, mainly... slightly damp by the time they arrived but hey it's war and no-one said it would be over by Christmas...well they did but you get the drift.
Now in order to get his 'ration' of fags, he couldn't pop down the newsagents and pick them up with his Daily Gazette could he, what with leaving his post being somewhat liable to punishment, or death...and he couldn't send anyone, he was a Private, the lowest life form in the Britsh Army, scattered around the mud ridden trenches of the Ypre Salient.
So how did the humble 10 'Woodies' (Woodbines to you lot)? get there? Well they came up with all the other shi..stuff, like bullets, bully beef, tea and (looks round furtively) Army Biscuits...an abomination I tells yer'. You can't eat 'em, you can't smoke 'em and Jerry don't like 'em much either...mind you, the rats love 'em...Did I just say 'Rats' jeez some of 'em are big as cats!!
Anyhow, this is a tale of how stuff got from A to B via a train, a boat, another train, then some scruffy Alley Slopers Cavalry fella and 'is 'orse n cart., before finally muggins 'ere carryin said 'stuff'...
Everything was Marshalled in the UK and then sent to a designated Port. Before despatched to a designated French channel port, usually Dieppe.
In the case of fags and tea!!. The “strong trade cases, suitable for export, whose gross weight was not to exceed 80 lbs” (36 kg), were loaded into goods wagons and found their way, via a regulating station, to the designated railhead of whichever Division had 'Requested' it, from whence they were then forwarded by, motorised supply columns either to YMCA stores or to their respective Brigade depots.
These supplies were broken down into Battalion or 'Unit' supplies being finally brought up to the 'Line' as needed by carrying parties. Usually moving under cover of darkness, under constant threat of shelling and machine gun fire, through a maze of tracks and zigzag communication trenches...
So, Logistics... lets start at the beginning, in the 18th and 19th Centuries Armies would traverse the countryside and buy or stea...ahem beg the local citizenry to provide food and water supplies, ammunition and other 'Stores' would travel behind the Fighting soldiers in what became known as the Baggage Train or Suppply Column...This led to the creation of 'Depots' which were kept supplied locally and as an Army passed it would request provisions from this depot. Which was very hit and miss, never mind time consuming way of keeping an army supplied.
It sort of worked until the early 20th century when as the size of Armies began to increase and steam railway technology advanced. Supplies could be landed at the nearest port, sorted into train loads of various types of supply and then it would be despatched to the nearest point at which the Army could collect it from the Railhead.
Fast forward to 1917, just before Georgey boy got 'is blighty one... 2 ounces of 'Tobacco' was issued to every man each day along with their rations. Known as 'comforts', tobacco wasn't freely issued until in 1916 WE & HO Wills came to an agreement with the War Office.
Apparently, a letter was sent to the Wills Company, addressed to a 'Mr Parks' dated 11 August 1916, concerning 'A tender for the supply of 108 million (270,000 lbs) 'Red Hussar' cigarettes, to be delivered at the rate of 9 million per week, commencing during the week ending 9 September 1916. 'The cigarettes are to be in packets of 10 and these should be packed in tins of 15 lbs, with two to a case'. 'The tins and cases are to be marked with the month and year of delivery and cases are also to be marked with the description and quantity of contents, name of contractors and with a distinctive number or mark which is to be shown on invoice'.
The letter closes with the request, for err...'quality control purposes' to “Kindly send a sample 500 box of “Red Hussar” cigarettes to; Officer Commanding, Supply Reserve Depot, Deptford Cattle Market, London, S.E. to reach him on Monday morning next'. So the 'Officers Mess' supply having been 'organised' for the next few months, the Contract was duly agreed...
Another, undated, unsigned and handwritten W.O. document in the files of WE & HO Wills stipulated that “The cigarettes must be manufactured from a blend of tobacco of sound American growth or grown in British Colonies or Protectorates from American seed.” and that "Deliveries can alternatively, be made to “Willow Walk Goods Station in transit for Newhaven, where 'final inspection' will be made in accordance with clause 2 of contract". By who knows, but the black market must have had a field day....
"Alf a Mo Kaiser"
by Bairnsfather, aka Bert Thomas
Before that and indeed up to the end of the war these 'Comforts' were a provided by a mixture of appeals to the general public to send tobacco to the troops, either by parcels sent by friends and family, or by philanthropy. Indeed Mr Bernhard Barron, owner of the Carreras Tobacco Company had, by August 1915, already sent three million ‘Black Cat,’ cigarettes to soldiers at the front. It was no surprise then that the contents of Princess Mary’s Christmas Gift Box, sent to the front in 1914, also contained a packet of cigarettes in a distinctive yellow packet. Below is a popular cartoon drawn by Bert Thomas for the 'Cigarette and Tobacco Fund'. The purpose of which was to raise funds to supply tobacco and cigarettes to front-line soldiers. It succeeded admirably, raising almost 250,000." On May 2nd 1916: 15 million Flags; 5 million Gold Flake, May 9th 1916: 8.4 million Flags, May 16th 1916: 10 million Woodbines, May 23rd 1916: 19 million Woodbines, May 30th 1916: 12.5 million Woodbines. Those figures show the amount of tobacco products for one month in 1916, imagine the figures after 2 more years, a very handsome profit for the Tobacco companies...
Another essential item needed to break up the monotony, when not bothering the blokes opposite that is... was a 'proper brew'. George and his mates were no different to every other 'Tommy' they needed the oil that lubricates the British Tommy, TEA...
Tea was always available but sometimes it came not as expected.
Apparently these 'Tea Tablets' were drinkable, and needs must when you're gaspers...
Tea best drink of the daaa....thhpplugh...That's not tea that's petrol wi'some tea in it.......is that it sergeant, 'yes bonny lad, you is refreshed by the horiental brew' 'Now start yourself up an 'op to it'...Sergeants bless their cotton socks, don't you just luv 'em...
Tea of course is sacred even in the 21st century, it cheers you up, makes you realise that no matter what, a 'brew' will fix you right up. The only problem being the amount of water required for 'brewing up' as well as boiling that water. Some might say 'Water water everywhere bu.....no I've not joined the flippin 'ogin...There's loads of water about....mainly about my ankles but can I drink it? Noooo says the MO...so what do I use?... well 'if you don't mind the taste of yer dead oppo in yer tea, just scrape the scum of 'ov that shell 'ole and fill er up' .Of course this happened a lot, along with the dysentry to accompany it but Tea was brewed however difficult...
Tea was brought up to the front lines in the same way as any other item needed, sent from England by sea, put onto railway wagons and then onto horsedrawn wagon until it reached the Batt supply point, where 'muggins and co' carried it to the forward trenches..
Each soldier was allowed 5/8oz of Tea per day and 8.5million men in France and other places, meant LOTS of tea...
In 1921, British neurologist M. Allen Starr noted: ‘During the First World war British troops were freely supplied with tea and carried it instead of water in their canteens’.
The British Army’s Surgeon-General Annesley de Renzy wrote: ‘All I can say is that on a long march, and where troops are exposed to great hardships, a cup of Assam tea is one of the most sustaining and invigorating beverages a soldier could have’
‘The caffeine stimulates and relaxes both the mind and body, adds to the confidence of the drinker, and so makes him more efficient as a fighter. The caffeine also combats stress and injury; hence the immediate response of most British people after any accident is to offer or drink a hot cup of sweet tea’.
Tea...it's a serious business, everything stops...Even old 'Fritz'....
So lets leave Grandad George and his mates to the Ypres mud, and let him enjoy his Brew and a Fag...cos the 'Minnies, Coal Scuttles and 'Whizz bangs will start again soon...Think I'll 'ave a nice brew now...see ya's...
Photo's courtesy of 'The National Library of Scotland' website, 'The Imperial War Museum' and the National Archives...
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