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[Page] 39
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have accumulated funds at a rapid rate.
I handed over to my successor nearly £100,
and we have voted to various appeals in the
past not far short of a similar amount.
Before the war our subscription was a guinea
We had four ordinary dinners on the nights
of our evening meetings and one “banquet”
on St. Andrews Night.

18th Feb. 1917
The Germans are getting desperate and
have instituted a violent submarine cam:
:paign against all shipping coming to or
from the United Kingdom. It began on the
first of this month, and though at first their
success was considerable they are not now
sinking an alarmingly large amount of
tonnage. No one is much perturbed, and
though the Admiralty keeps its own secrets
we have been given to understand that the
navy has the menace well in hand, and
that already many U. boats which were
taking part in the “Strafe” will not return to
Germany. As some 60 to 70% of the
shipping has been utilised for Military & Naval
purposes, there has been a serious reduction
in the food supplies being brought in from
abroad. In consequence we have all been

requested to put ourselves on voluntary rations
2½lbs [pounds] of meat, ¾ ls [pound] of sugar, 4 lbs [pounds] of bread, or
3 lbs [pounds] of flour per head per week. We are allowed,
however, to make up with oat meal and other
substitutes. At breakfast we never have any
other “dish” than porridge, and we use barley,
or wheat meal bread, and oat cakes as much as
possible. We all thrive quite well; personally
I never felt better. We have taken to consume
much more cheese than heretofore, and much
less meat. Last week I started helping
in the canteen connected with the Rest Hut
on the Mound from 10.30 p.m. to 2.30 A.M. We
reckoned we served nearly 200 soldiers & sailors
with supper; Two men did the cooking, pro:
:viding sausages, poached eggs, mutton pies,
sausage rolls, porridge & ham & eggs.
There were also Sandwiches, bread and butter, plain
cakes, and to drink, tea, coffee, cocoa, bovril,
oxo, and mineral waters. Each man paid
for what he got. We took the orders, shouted
them through the window to the kitchen, &
endeavoured to provide for the necessities of
other hungry men while the cooking orders
were being attended to. I found it very
difficult to bear in mind the uncompleted
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