of the Railway Executive, and the extra allowance was made to men who were booked or called upon at short notice to lodge away from home, as follows:—
Quantity. | Price. | |
Meat | 4 ounces | 6½d. |
Cheese | 2½ ounces | 2½d. |
Biscuit (if required) | 1 pound | 6d. |
Jam | 4 ounces | 2½d. |
Tea | 1 ounce | 2d. |
Cheese took the place of meat on meatless days.
Men were allowed to have any or all of the above, but no more of one article if others were not required. This addition to the home rations was specially helpful to men always travelling, but further efforts were made to get supplementary rations on account of arduous work, the above extras being allowed for absence from home. There were early and numerous complaints about the biscuit, which defied all human teeth, and was best cracked under the heel or with a coal hammer. It was very nutritious, the War Office said, but the grinding of it required a lot of perseverance