Whatever happened to the Navy Rum ?

Discussion in 'Veteran Accounts' started by Ron Goldstein, Aug 2, 2010.

  1. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    54-ish was what I remember it being.
    Portsmouth teenage drinking:
    Pint,
    Pussers,
    Pint,
    Pussers,
    Repeat.

    Play silly games...
     
  2. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Teenage drinking? Sounds more like last Trafalgar Day when I spotted a bottle of Gunpowder Proof in the pub!

    Tim
     
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  3. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Slight correction to Post 36. Pusser's Gunpowder Proof is 54.5% ABV not Proof it's Proof strength is around 95%.

    Tim[/QUOTE]

    Yes Tim ...my error.I cannot recollect that proof (ABV X 1.75) as a calibration of alcohol has been used in recent times. ABV is normally used for alcohol. ......easily to understand...probably an international standard... for example,looking at a bottle of Russian Czar's Vodka,distilled and bottled in St Petersburg,40% alcohol is indicated....no Russian keyboard to indicate the scrip.
     
  4. Son Of Sapper

    Son Of Sapper Junior Member

    Another drop of rum.

    More to do with its effect on Royal Engineers, particularly Sappers Donnison and Guest on the morning of 6 June 1944 on Gold Beach.

    No proper sleep for two night, a day and night of puking their guts out on their LCT, no food in their bellies, landing at 7.30 hrs on Green sector, dealing to as many obstacles as possible until the tide covered their targets.

    It would be reasonable to say that most of the men of 280th Field Company RE were fairly exhausted.

    Having lost their folding boats which contained their supplies due to the overwhelming tide or being pulled in two by AVRE’s tasked to tow them ashore the sappers went off looking for food. What was found was a flagon of neat Navy rum that was washed up.
    As reported in the attached photo, the men took heart from this chance discovery, perhaps too much heart!

    My father’s recollections were very similar to Sapper Donnison record of events.

    To quote from Donnison memo (curtesy of IWM).

    “He (Tug Wilson) had lost his kit & so had I & we began searching the beach for we hardly knew what. We were like the rest of the boys, feeling chilled through & somehow hungry.

    In our search we found a ration box & opened up to find two big glass flaggons of rum, thick as syrup & as dark. Tug had his mug off his belt by the time I had a jar out & opened & we ladled into that stuff good & proper. Very much merried Tug goes away again to blow up some more obstacles but as for me all I could do was to sink down & sleep it off in the sands”.

    They slept it off when the tide was too high to work and resumed demolition in the early afternoon.

    Not surprising, just neat rum on an empty stomach and in the given situation.

    By the by Major Clayton inspecting the mine was the 280th's CO at this time. Indeed this obstacle was one of the sappers targets.

    Son of Sapper
     

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  5. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Working again :)
     

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  6. timuk

    timuk Well-Known Member

    Congratulations. This is the one you want:
    [​IMG]

    Tim
     
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  7. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    Intrigued to see that at least the 42% variety is available in Ontario...
     
  8. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Thanks.

    I might try the high octane when this bottle is gone but that will be quite some time.

    Tried it last night. I like it. Nothing like any rum I've ever tasted before. Reminds me a bit of ouzo
     
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  9. 509thPIB

    509thPIB Well-Known Member

     
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  10. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Today, only 49 years ago a 315 year old British tradition was not continued.
    What a shame. Cheers to all ex- RM guys :cheers:

    Stefan.
     
  11. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

  12. riter

    riter Well-Known Member

    Another good book on the subject is Nelson's Blood.

    Pusser's Rum is supposed to be the same as that sold to the RN. Dunno if this is true.
     
  13. Wapen

    Wapen Well-Known Member

    Anyone know what the army rum ratio was in 1945? I'm trying to work out just how pished 10 HLI might have been when they attacked Kranenburg.
     
  14. Quarterfinal

    Quarterfinal Well-Known Member

    Veterans used to tell me that an operational ration allocation/measure was the amount up to the bottom of the lower handle rivet in the smaller mess tin. This seems a plausible and practical option; perhaps someone can offer a supporting written instruction?

    Extreme cold weather was an issue option and perhaps a 'simple' matter, but had to be signed off by a Commanding Officer and Regimental level Medical Officer - I'm not sure if authority was vested in an independent sub-unit commander.

    Another condition recalled was 'work of an objectionable nature', or words to that effect - burial detail might fall into that category, or preparing recovered damaged armoured vehicles before repair.

    Not WW2, but this may be of interest:
    Alcohol in the trenches: the rum ration | The Western Front Association

    I would presume that male and female personnel received/receive a common issue?

    Interesting issuing traditional gunfire on peacetime Christmas morning to the single soldiers, usually by an OC (who paid for it) preceded by a Sgt Maj. The recipients might not necessarily have wanted to be woken up at 6.30am, but if it didn't materialize, gum bumping levels were exponentially higher.
     
  15. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    As I think about it, Rum makes such a lot of sense as a 'fighting issue' drink.
    Warming & 'inspirational' in a way few other spirits really work.
    Also nowhere near as unpleasant a taste as most others might be to uninitiated drinkers. Quite pleasant, quite sweet, even in its harsher forms.
     
  16. Wapen

    Wapen Well-Known Member

    Sparkling advice. Thank you both. Inconveniently I've attempted a practical test and have difficulty with my thumb typing. Clarification to follow. 57%
     
  17. JimHerriot

    JimHerriot Ready for Anything

    "Why is the rum always gone?" :)

    Kind regards, hic.

    Jim.
     

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