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Rations of the Australians at Gallipoli Wing Commander Derek Moore (RAAFSR) Health Reserves – Air Force Victoria Barracks, Southbank. Victoria 3006 Australians at Anzac Cove unloading supplies and setting up camp AIF infantrymen warming food in mess tins supported on used shell cases Soldiers at Anzac Cove with boxes of bully beef and cans for carrying kerosene or water Mules on the beach at Gaba Tepe being loaded with cans of drinking water Ph. 0419 346 682 Email: [email protected] The field rations at Gallipoli were poorly planned, partly because of the expectation of an early breakout and advance to Constantinople by August. Thus, the soldiers were not provided with the equipment or supplies needed for prolonged trench warfare. The daily rations were supposed to include 450 grams of canned Corned (Bully) Beef, a similar amount of Army (‘’Hard Tack”) biscuits, 113 grams of bacon, cheese and a serving of peas, beans or dried potatoes. Tea was provided, plus jam and sugar. It was impossible to distribute hot meals to men based in trenches on the other side of steep cliffs. Instead, they did their own cooking e.g. digging shallow pits to light small fires. Difficulties with access meant a day’s rations for soldiers near the frontline would often have to last for 2 to 3 days. Bully Beef and/or Army biscuits were the staple of most meals, especially in the early months. The rock hard biscuits and lack of water (the initial ration of 4.5 litres was cut by 75%) meant that oral health suffered. Men were suffering bleeding gums, then developed mouth ulcers which often became infected. The soldiers then had to be evacuated for dental care. The biscuits could also break your teeth unless softened in tea or ground up to make porridge or to thicken stews made with Bully Beef. Many men gave up eating during the day due to the swarms of flies. Breakfast may have been a biscuit porridge with sweetened condensed milk (if available) or biscuits and jam. Stews of Bully Beef and crushed biscuits with onion or thyme were frequent main meals. The unappetising and monotonous diet affected the soldiers’ morale, plus their physical and psychological well-being. As the months went by, supply and thus food variety improved, with the provision of cheese, sweetened condensed milk, bacon, some rice and fresh bread. However, the importance of fruit and vegetables was not fully realised. Canned fruit and vegetables would have significantly improved the nutritional quality of the rations. Soldiers could sometimes buy chocolate and /or dates from the YMCA hut. On rare occasions nuts and raisins were sold. The Australians and New Zealanders were delighted to receive food parcels from home e.g. a boiled fruit cake, a box of chocolates or a few cans of sardines. Seven weeks before the evacuation from Gallipoli, an editorial in the Medical Journal of Australia responded to a returned colonel’s descriptions of the conflict by calling for a “change to the monotonous and “nauseating” rations blamed for an average weight loss of 28 pounds (12.7 kgm) in the troops”. Lack of water and a high sodium diet exacerbated the thirst of frontline troops. The rations were low in fibre, Vitamins A and C. Lack of Vitamin C caused scurvy which impaired wound healing. Given the role of Vitamin A in immune function and protecting against infectious disease, the low intakes could well have contributed to the high mortality rates from dysentery and typhoid. The combination of poor nutrition, unsanitary living conditions and lack of rest took their toll. Dysentery, septic wounds, tetanus and typhoid affected many Australians and caused the evacuation of thousands of men. The Turkish forces had a more varied diet, similar to that of the Roman legions: wheat bread, olive oil, nuts and dried fruits. Their meals were centrally prepared and included fresh local foods, although often lacking in meat. French and Indian divisions had better rations than the ANZACs, with more vegetables and bread. The quality and variety of rations for the Australians improved considerably on the Western Front, where the soldier’s diets were also supplemented by regular food parcels from home and by purchasing food from the local population. Collecting fish killed by Turkish shelling An Army 'Hard Tack' biscuit used as a postcard References Two soldiers pounding Army biscuits into meal for making porridge Damaged Light Horse blue enamel water bottle 1. Rice, G.W. “ Nutrition and disease: lessons learned from Gallipoli” NZMJ 19 April 2013, Vol 126 No. 1373: 7-9 2. Wilson, N et al “ A nutritional analysis of New Zealand military food rations at Gallipoli in 1915: likely contribution to scurvy and other nutrient deficiency disorders” NZMJ 19 April 2013, Vol 126 No. 1373: 12 – 29 3. Australian War Memorial: Images and reference material 4. www.gallipoli.gov.au 5. www.anzacsofgallipoli.com The assistance of the Defence Library Service is gratefully acknowledged. 4th Light Horse Regiment Headquarters cookhouse 4th Battalion soldiers at the top of Shrapnel Gully having breakfast A sailor on shore duty at Anzac Cove in his dugout near the beach Men of the 7th Australian Field Ambulance drawing their water ration Cooks at the 5th Light Horse Brigade's B Squadron cookhouse A water condenser being erected at Mudros on Lemnos, to provide water to Gallipoli