Today near Gravenstafel, Belgium, we saw a jug of rum that had been used in World War One by Commonwealth troops. Rum was often given to soldiers of the Empire by their sergeants before they were sent “over the top” of the trenches. Soldiers such as Donald Fraser, a Private of the 31st (Calgary) Battalion voiced a favourable opinion of the liquor, saying: “It is much appreciated as it helps the circulation which gets very slow these cold nights for want of movement. Time and again it has come to the rescue and many owe their freedom from colds, rheumatism, and kindred troubles to the timely inward application of this liquor.”1 In addition to all of these positive attributes, the rum provided soldiers with a sense of courage, albeit false, which helped the men steady their nerves before they advanced upon an enemy position. The jugs of rum were distinctly labelled “SRD,” initials which originally meant Special Red Demerara. But due to the terrible reality of trench life, soldiers frequently used humour to mitigate the degradation and squalor of their situation. One of the most apparent uses of humour was in reference to the “SRD” jugs. Soldiers reinvented new meanings for the initials, two of which were “Soldiers’ Rum Diluted,’ or ‘Soon Runs Dry.’ All too often it never reached the men at all and hence came to be referred to cynically as ‘Seldom Reaches Destination.”2
Graeme Arkell
End Notes
1. Reginald Roy, ed. “The Journal Of Private Fraser,” (Nepean, Ontario: CEF Books, 1998): 1
2. J. Morrison, “Hell Upon Earth: A Personal Account Of Prince Edward Island Soldiers In The Great War, 1914-1918,” (Summerside, Prince Edward Island: Privately printed, 1995): 93
Bibliography
Morrison, J. “Hell Upon Earth: A Personal Account Of Prince Edward Island Soldiers In The Great War, 1914-1918.” 1-359. Summerside, Prince Edward Island: Privately printed, 1995.
Roy, Reginald. ed. “The Journal Of Private Fraser.” 1-334. Nepean, Ontario: CEF Books, 1998.
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