8/6/2019 chc_foodinworldewar1

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Read the four sources below and then answer the questions at the bottom of the page. Please read all of the sources firstor you will not properly answer the questions.

Source 1:

What do our soldiers eat? The very best and mostsubstantial food and plenty of it. The first item is meat(fresh or frozen). Each soldier is entitled to one pound aday. In addition to this meat the soldier is given fourounces of bacon, usually for breakfast. Soldiers are alsogiven fish, too much of it, sausages from governmentowned factories and pork and beans are given as asupplement to the meat rations. Bread, is perhaps, next

in importance. Of this a soldier receives one pound.The bread is made in bakeries behind the lines. Thesebakeries turn out 220,000 two-pound loaves a day,made from Canadian flour of the same quality as in pre-war days. Some other food items that a Canadiansoldier will receive are; ten ounces of rice, two ouncesof butter served three times a week, three ounces of

jam, an ounce of coffee tea or coffee, two ounces ofcheese, two ounces of oatmeal three times a week,three ounces of sugar, an ounce of milk once a week, anounce of pickles three times a week, two ounces ofpotatoes, eight ounces of fresh vegetables whenobtainable or at least two ounces of dried vegetables.

Canada at War Thrift Book, 1918.

Source 2:

The food was monotonous and barely adequate. Itconsisted of a biscuit that had to be soaked in water forten minutes before it could be eaten, tinned meat thatwas more often then not tainted or spoiled when it wasopened. There were rarely any vegetables given or anyother food which was suggested that we would get oncewe were here. No attempts at all were made to achievea diet that would give strength to the body. Thecookhouse at the camp had one of our bread biscuitsnailed to the door and carved into was a saying, Asquare meal.

H.F. Wood, Vimy!, p. 47.

Source 3:

Food in the trenches was always scarce; a days rationfor a soldier consisted of a tin of bully beef (beef jerky), atin can of hot water or tea if they were lucky to receivesome and possibly if they were even more lucky a sicklysweet substance called plum and apple jam. That to thetroops tasted like it was made from rotten turnips andrhubarb.

L. M. Frost, Fighting Men, pg. 24.

Source 4:

The complete efficiency of the men is largely because ofthe excellent quality of their food. The Canadian armyis, in fact, healthier than any other army that has ever

faced war. Typhoid and scurvy are almost unknown.The amazing record of health for the troops is becauseof all of the sanitary precautions that have been taken.One of the most remarkable of these is the system of hotbaths and the sterilising of clothing. Bathingestablishments have been put up in various parts of thebattle ground. Day after day, successive companies ofmen have hot baths in the buildings. They strip to theskin, and while the wallow in huge baths of hot water,their clothing is treated with 200 degrees of heat, whichdestroys all of the vermin.

M. Atiken, Canada in Flanders, p. 19.

British soldiers having some 'grub' in the

trenches durin WWI.

A Canadian Food Board propaganda poster fromWWI. This poster encouraged Canadians toconserve food so we could give more of it to thetroops in Europe. Did this poster prove effective?

Questions:

1) Write at least three (3) sentences from eachsource (1,2,3 and 4) that summarises thesources opinion on the quality of the soldiersdiets during World War I.

2) For each source determine who could have

possibly written that source. Your choices are;1) A General; 2) A government official; or 3) aCanadian Soldier. You must provide a three(3) sentence statement that supports yourselection.

3) How would the position of the author in theCanadian Army or Government affect what waswritten or said about the quality of food given totroops during World War I?

4) What do you think? Did the soldiers have anadequate or sufficient diet during World War I?

Explain your answer by providing supportingarguments from your previous answers.