gb0551ms-33-50

Transcription

[Page] 50
[continued from page 49]

were in a state of great depression. Here in the cold
splenetic North” we take longer views, and the faith
that is in us of the unconquerable qualities of the race
enable us to keep calm and never to lose heart. Every
week the Allied armies grow greater. In the first
fortnight of this Offensive we transported across the
channel nearly 300,000 troops without the loss of a
single man, while American soldiers are pouring
into France where almost 1,000,000, have already arrived
A great American navy has its base on the West Coast of
Scotland and from time to time many of the ships
visit the Forth. I think some have been here lately
& I fancy are out at present with our fleet
which is in daily expectation of an encounter
with the German fleet. On the other hand as regards
manpower, the German losses have been colossal,
& the wastage cannot be made good beyond a
limited figure from the maturing youths, & troops
which the defection of Russia enables them to withdraw
from the East. Writing in the middle of this period,
the most momentous in the history of our Empire
& of our Race, it is most important in a journal
such as this to record matters which the official chroniclers
may pass over, small details which posterity would like
to know of but which the historian will give no heed to.
We are now rationed in Tea, butter, (including sugar, lard, margarine etc)

Butcher meat, & bacon. Each individual has a card, for
meat for instance, on which are a number of detachable
coupons, four being allowed for each week, three to be
applied for the purchase of meat, while the fourth allows
the purchase of what is unpleasantly dubbed “offal”, i.e. such
things as sausage, kidneys, sweetbreads etc etc. The cards
for our household are left at our butchers, and instead
of getting small quantities of meat on 5 days in the
week we put all together & obtain a joint on one day,
our allowance being 1 lb [pound] per head. We have meatless
days on Wednesdays & Fridays & our joint cold usually
carries us over four days – “Offal” does for a fifth. Soon
we are only to be allowed 2 coupons for meat, one
being to be used for bacon. Sugar, margarine etc
are similarly supplied by the shops with whom we
have registered & which retain our cards. To make
allowances go farther, substitutes are used. Ladies
going out to tea carry little silver boxes containing
sacharine tablets if sweetening stuff is required. I have
seen one hand a tea allowance in a small packet to
her hostess! Fish is of course greatly used, & numerous
brands of tinned herring etc. have lately made their
appearance. Everyone takes all these restrictions
in the best spirit possible. I hear no grumbling
& as for any disorder in consequence there is
no trace of such a thing. While commodities were
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