Life as a Tommy

Lieutenant Winterburn wrote the following story.
We all hear a lot about Tommys’ food “stew” and “plum and apple jam” being probably the most discussed items. Everything depended upon local organisation and a good soldier accepted the bad times. I had the misfortune of being in a signal school where the cook-house was in the hands of six navvies. On the other hand in a camp noted for its wretched condition our colonel personally attended the men’s dining room during meals. Consequently food was both good and plentiful. An Aldershot oven is a very interesting item. It consists of sheet iron covered with earth and grass “Sods”. Wood was first burnt in the oven. After the fire had been burning about an hour, all the fire was pulled out, the meat etc. was placed inside, and the oven was then sealed with a sheet iron cover and clay. After a certain time (not being a cook I cannot tell you the exact time) the cover was removed and we found our meat beautifully cooked.
Whilst in England our utensils consisted of a plate, basin, knife, fork and spoon. One soon became accustomed to drinking out of a basin. Abroad the plate and basin were replaced with a mess tin. If we told our mothers and sisters all the things that went into our mess tins they would be horrified. Physical Training formed an important part of Army life. It is the duty of every soldier to keep “fit” and in excellent condition. The two photographs of a squad in Aldershot Gym. School show a smartness of which men were justly proud. Accommodation for the Tommy varied greatly. Huts were the general thing but frequently we were under canvass. Abroad we were thankful for any old ‘ole and if we knew of a better one we were soon in it. During summer it was very pleasant under canvas, but even then we were subjected to unpleasant moments. Floods often bring disaster. However, it is surprising how Tommy tackled his job, sorting his few belongings from disastrous accidents. I remember once having just finished dinner in a large marquee when the whole affair came down crash. I don’t think there was a whole plate or basin to be found. However, I didn’t stay in the vicinity longer than I could help as I knew that the affair meant a nice few fatigues and I had a pass for London that afternoon. “Our Head” being an expert in mathematics he was soon found a post as a mathematical gunnery instructor and for a time was known as the “Slide rule fiend”. In using long range guns it is surprising how much calculation is necessary. It so happened that the guns were of the latest type and were able to fire a hundred pound shell a distance of twenty miles with a fair amount of accuracy. Besides calculating ordinary range and elevation it was necessary to make corrections for weight of shell, temperature, or charge, temperature of the air (u) the Barometer and direction of the wind. So it is obvious that an artillery officer especially of long range guns needs a large amount of mathematical instruction. The main feature being to do the calculations accurately, but also quickly. The old idea of “kick her up a bit” (meaning elevate the gun a little more) may have happened with the smaller guns but was impossible with larger guns.

Life as a Tommy
Military

WW1

John F. Winterburn

Education

Year: c1914