Yesterday on BBC 1

Discussion in 'General' started by Ron Goldstein, Sep 29, 2007.

  1. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    I don't know if anyone caught "The One Show" on BBC 1 yesterday evening?

    They had Margarite Patton on, now 91, she was the lady who taught civilians how to cope with the miniscule rations that were allotted on a weekly basis and on a table in the studio she had laid out an actual week's allowance.
    I was immediately reminded of an episode that I'd already written about on the BBC WW2 Peoples War namely:

    "As part of the Regiment’s ‘peacetime’ procedure we used to have morning parades in which the whole regiment took part and the CO took this as an opportunity to address us on matters of importance.
    On one occasion he told us that he had been annoyed to hear of his troops complaining about the size of their portions at mealtimes.
    He went on to say that civilians back in England were still having to live on very restricted rations and to shame us all he was having set up at the entrance to the dining hall a table on which would be the civilian’s rations for a week.
    Having delivered his sermon for the week we were then dismissed to our duties.
    The very next day the whole regiment was abruptly summoned on an unscheduled parade to be faced by an apoplectic CO.
    Some had stolen the ‘civilians rations for the week’!!!!!!
    I can’t remember what terrible punishment he meted out to us for this heinous behaviour but I still remember the colour of his face when he made his announcement."

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/67/a4578267.shtml
     
  2. marcus69x

    marcus69x I love WW2 meah!!!

    Funny story Ron. A squaddie needs to keep full I suppose. :)

    Did he ever find out who nicked the rations?
     
  3. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Funny story Ron. A squaddie needs to keep full I suppose. :)

    Did he ever find out who nicked the rations?

    As they say in Police jargon
    "The matter is still under investigation".......60 odd years later :)

    Ron
     
  4. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Compo rations Ron...We lived on soup and biscuits from Normandy to the German border, when a half a slice of white bread was shared out to the men ..With our first half pint of beer.

    Everything was shoved into the cauldron and stewed, bar the cigarettes sweets and toilet paper.
    Cheers mate
    Sapper
     

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