Australian soldiers in WWI drank a variety of beverages, primarily tea, coffee, and water, but also relied heavily on alcoholic drinks like rum (a daily ration), beer, and cheap French wine (plonk) for morale and warmth, often mixing rum into hot drinks for a potent boost before battle. Non-alcoholic options were essential for hydration, while spirits provided Dutch courage, comfort, and a taste of home, often supplied by organizations like the Australian Comforts Fund.
Beer was universal in WWI. It was used to quench thirst, to enjoy in comradeship, to relax and possibly, to help for a moment, to forget about the horror of war.
One hundred years ago, with nearly a tenth of Australia's population at war, two drinks enlivened our servicemen more than any other: beer and rum. One other drink rectified them when conditions were often far worse – and life-threatening: brandy.
So the Australians ate bully beef (tinned corned beef), rice, jam, cocoa, tea, some bread and above all, hard tack, especially in the first few months. Later they were able get some fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs. Some officers even bought chickens on Lemnos that they took to Gallipoli.
Rum rations
But they were perhaps best known for carrying rum. As in earlier conflicts, British and Commonwealth soldiers were entitled to a rum ration in the trenches. This was to be drunk in the presence of an officer or non-commissioned officer to guard against overindulgence.
WW2 soldiers carried condoms primarily for disease prevention (STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea) and for practical combat uses, such as keeping sand and mud out of their rifle barrels, protecting small items, or even as makeshift waterproof bags, although the weapon-protection use is sometimes exaggerated in popular culture. The military distributed them widely (often in "prophylactic kits") to maintain troop strength, recognizing the significant manpower lost to venereal diseases in past conflicts.
The 1-2-3 drinking rule is a guideline for moderation: 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and at least 3 alcohol-free days each week, helping to pace consumption and stay within safer limits. It emphasizes pacing alcohol intake with water and food, knowing standard drink sizes (12oz beer, 5oz wine, 1.5oz spirits), and avoiding daily drinking to reduce health risks, though some health guidance suggests even lower limits.
German soldiers generally held a mix of fear, deep respect, and admiration for Australian troops in both World Wars, recognizing them as exceptionally tough, cunning, and tenacious fighters, with figures like Erwin Rommel praising their fighting spirit and describing them as magnificent in attack and defense, though some German press also dismissed them as a small population incapable of sustaining a major war effort.
By the First World War (1914-18), Army food was basic, but filling. Each soldier could expect around 4,000 calories a day, with tinned rations and hard biscuits staples once again. But their diet also included vegetables, bread and jam, and boiled plum puddings.
James Charles Martin (3 January 1901 – 25 October 1915) was the youngest Australian known to have died in the First World War. He was only 14 years and nine months old when he succumbed to typhoid during the Gallipoli campaign.
For example, cats and dogs were kept by soldiers in the trenches to "help maintain hygiene" by culling the rodent population. Terrier dogs were especially useful, more so than cats, as they were bred to kill vermin and for hunting purposes which was applied to eliminating rats in the trenches.
The strongest alcohol available in Australia is pure ethanol (95-96% ABV), often sold as neutral spirit or under names like Everclear, but this is for tinctures, sanitiser, or infusions, not for drinking neat due to extreme potency; the strongest drinkable alcohol for cocktails/liqueurs is usually around 100 proof (50% ABV), with ultra-strong limited releases sometimes hitting 60% ABV.
Rum was particularly suitable for extended periods at sea as the high alcohol content inhibited the growth of bacteria and mould, which were common problems in other stored liquids on ships. It also raised morale, so long as it was kept in good supply.
"The smell of the trenches was a compound of stagnant mud, latrine buckets, chloride of lime, unburied and half-buried corpses, rotting sandbags, stale human sweat, fumes of cordite and lyddite.
Unsurprisingly, little is written about homosexuality in the armed forces during the Great War; it was illegal and those caught were subject to corporal punishment, so there would have been little reason to shout publicly about liaisons.
The English, who were on short rations, presumably had less to drink than the French, but there was drinking in the ranks on both sides during the period of waiting and it is quite probable that many soldiers in both armies went into the melee less than sober, if not indeed fighting drunk.
So what did they eat? Bully beef (tinned corned beef), rice, jam, cocoa, tea, some bread and above all hard tack fed the Australian soldiers at Gallipoli. Hard tack, also known as "ANZAC Wafer", or "ANZAC Tile", has a very long shelf life, unlike bread.
The soldiers rations during WW1 would include canned meat (like bully beef, (known as corned beef in the UK), hardtack biscuits, vegetables such as carrot, potatoes and turnip which were sometimes dried or canned, cheese, butter, oxo cubes, sugar , jam and tea and sometimes rum.
Traditionally, the English took brandy to steady their nerves in the trenches of WW1. The harsh winter of 1914-1915 saw the reintroduction of the rum ration for UK troops. Men were given 71ml twice per week, or daily for those in the trenches.
WW2 soldiers carried condoms primarily for disease prevention (STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea) and for practical combat uses, such as keeping sand and mud out of their rifle barrels, protecting small items, or even as makeshift waterproof bags, although the weapon-protection use is sometimes exaggerated in popular culture. The military distributed them widely (often in "prophylactic kits") to maintain troop strength, recognizing the significant manpower lost to venereal diseases in past conflicts.
What did Rommel say about Australian soldiers? "If I had to take hell, I would use the Australians to take it and the New Zealanders to hold it". He admired the fierce Australian and New Zealand defense on El Alamein.
Explore Hahndorf: a picturesque town rich in history, food and culture. Less than 30-minutes from the city, be immersed in Australia's oldest surviving German settlement. A heritage listed town, Hahndorf's steep history and character lends itself to a picturesque and interesting village to discover.
Two fingers means a single pour. Three fingers means a double pour. Served neat in a rocks glass. It's old school.
Heavy drinking, including binge drinking, is a high-risk activity. The definition of heavy drinking is based on a person's sex. For women, more than three drinks on any day or more than seven drinks a week is heavy drinking. For men, heavy drinking means more than four drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks a week.
If you do experience early symptoms of ARLD, these are often quite vague, such as: