11,250 TONS OF FOOD

Published Oct 8, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper

WHAT THE GREAT EUROPEAN ARMIES EAT

The Problem of Feeding Soldiers Grows Harder With Every Day.

…It is figured that the average for each man is 2 ¼ pounds of food a day. It has been stated that there are from 8,000,000 to 16,000,000 now on the battle lines. Just what the real figures are it is impossible to determine, but 10,000,000 is probably nearly correct.

A box car on an American railroad will carry about twenty tons. This means that to transport the food of one day for 10,000,000 men 560 of these cars would be needed. If these 560 cars were divided into trains of forty cars each it would mean fourteen trains drawn by the largest engines in the country.

Each nation has its own system of feeding its men, and now it is realized everywhere that to enable the men to fight at their best they must be fed properly. England, like the United States, feeds its army from behind. That is, it send food trains to follow each division and these trains, equipped with the different foods, deal out to each regiment provision, which are served to men or are cooked and served from the kitchens….

In all countries bread forms the most important part of the ratio. The British allow their men 21 ounces, the French 32 ounces, and the German 26 ½ ounces to each man. This bread is baked in the army ovens. The German ovens are drawn by motors and they arrive with the troops as soon as the battle is over. For each division there are twelve ovens and these can turn out 30,000 loaves of bread a day. The dough is mixed in the usual way. Sometimes this bread is turned out in biscuit form. Each man receives two rations, which he carries in his havershack. Each one of these ovens can turn out 2,500 bread rations a day.

The British also have these field ovens. But they also have portable kitchens which are drawn by horses or by motors and follow the army. About four men are necessary to manage one of these kitchens and these men cook the meals for the soldiers, which is served out to them night and morning as long as it is possible for them to do so.

The kitchen makes stews for the men, cook bacon, make tea or coffee, and with the British army jams and sweets from a large part of their food. It has been said that the British soldier in the field lives well and often has what might be termed luxuries. He gets his meat, 12 ounces being allowed each man. Then he has 16 ounces of potatoes, 8 ounces of fresh vegetables when they can be procured, 3 ½ ounces of milk, an ounce and a half of sugar, and quarter of an ounce each of tea, coffee and salt….