The importance of tea in the First World War
Lest we forget
Today marks the 99th occasion when the Cenotaph in Central London bears silent witness to the remembrance of all those who fell during The War to End All Wars…sadly history saw fit that another global conflict consumed the world just twenty one short years later.
In November 2017 we can barely imagine the hardship and the horror of the trenches and at UKVending we pay tribute to those who perished in all wars and remember their courage and fortitude. Tea was a crucial part of maintaining morale in the trenches, it was warm and refreshing and it was used in a number of ingenious ways to make the taste of the so called ‘dog biscuits’ taste almost palatable, not to mention the bully beef and the bread made from pulverised straw. The water used to make the tea, however, added a nasty taste itself as the cans used to transport the water to the front line were often in tins previously used for petrol. As Dr Rachel Duffett of the University of Essex said, “The soldiers in the trenches didn’t starve but they hated the monotony of their food.”