At the beginning of the War, British soldiers were given 300 grams of meat and 200 grams of vegetables a day, but this didn鈥檛 last.
By the Winter of 1916, bread was being made with dried turnips because flour was hard to get.
Sometimes, they only had emergency rations which included tins of meat, cheese and Army biscuits.
Private Arthur Biggs 31. London Regiment. Company cook. People say I got it easy but I tell you this aint an easy job. For a start everybody hates us cooks. Some days the men hate us more than what they do the Germans.
See, the men are supposed to get three meals every day whatever鈥檚 going on. Rain, , ice, shells, snow, , shrapnel it don鈥檛 matter we鈥檙e still supposed to feed 鈥榚m. And that aint easy.
Take this stuff. Brown stew we call it.
It鈥檚 been cooking for three hours. It鈥檚 got meat, onions, carrots, turnips, flour, and gravy. Smells great and tastes even better. On a winter鈥檚 day you鈥檇 be happy to get a nice, hot bowl of this.
Trouble is by the time the men get this stew it won鈥檛 be nice or hot. Things go wrong see.
FX : Explosion
Sometimes like now we鈥檝e got to wait and by the time it鈥檚 safe to go forward my stew鈥檚 gone cold. Or it gets spilt on the way and there aint enough to go round. Or even, the Dixie lids fall off and mud gets in. So one way or another my brown stew gets ruined and the men get angry.
You can鈥檛 blame 鈥榚m though. See I鈥檝e done my bit at the front. I know what it feels like to be in a fire trench feeling all cold and wet and scared and sorry for yourself. And then a pan of good hot stew turns up and things ain鈥檛 so bad. But if the stew鈥檚 cold, or there aint enough to go round or it鈥檚 got mud in it you feel cheated and angry. And that鈥檚 when you have a go at the cooks. So, no, this aint an easy job.
Video summary
Newsreel and commentary illustrate the working of the field kitchens that supplied the British trenches in World War One.
The impact of food shortages and rationing is considered.
A dramatic monologue introduces Private Arthur Biggs, a company cook, who shows us his field kitchen and describes his daily duties.
The men grumble about the food but are grateful for it, all the same.
This clip is from the series WW1 A to Z.
Teacher Notes
Pupils could find out more about the diet in the trenches, from books and websites.
They could try a recipe from the war years, or weigh out items of a soldier鈥檚 daily ration.
They could improvise a scene in which soldiers complain about the meal they receive, with increasingly unflattering descriptions of its contents.
This short film is suitable for teaching history at Key Stage 2 / Second Level or above.
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