ferretfixer Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 As for the side effect of compo- it was said that a week or more on compo bunged you up for a week afterwards - and then the world fell out of your back side!! Neil, Bottom fallen out of your world, then take Alka-Seltza, & let the World fall out of your Bottom!........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 As for the side effect of compo- it was said that a week or more on compo bunged you up for a week afterwards - and then the world fell out of your back side!! Neil, Bottom fallen out of your world, then take Alka-Seltza, & let the World fall out of your Bottom!........ Ugh - think I'd rather eat the compo than take that stuff!!! :wow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redcap Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Blimey, I go away for a month, and this happens! Coincidentally, I wrote a blog entry the other day around the subject of ratpacks... enjoy... Squaddie Stew* OK, a quick one this (oo-er!)... I was chatting with the better half earlier via Skype, and it turns out that I am actually expected to cook for us both on Monday, rather than rely on infrequent fridge and snack cupboard raids for sustaining the two of us over the bank holiday weekend. So I offered up a menu. Breakfast:Bacon grill and reconstituted powdered eggs with a slice of white bread and margarine, an oatmeal block, and tea or coffee, NATO standard. Snack lunch:Biscuits, Brown, AB, with beef pate spread, and either tea or coffee NATO standard, or powdered isotonic fruit drink. Main meal:Squaddie Stew, with tea or coffee, NATO Standard, and mixed fruit Pudding. Needless to say the menu was shot down in flames before I'd even reached the main meal items. My better half can tell when I'm quoting from a 1980s British Army-issue Ration Pack, but there was a query. "What on Earth is squaddie Stew? Are there real squaddies in it? Do you lop the boots off before you cook them?" After some evil laughter, and giving points for the misquote from the film "Addams Family Values", I went on to explain what went into the 'stew', which wasn't really a stew, so much as reheated tinned food. Ration packs, or "Rations, one-man x 24-hours, GS", to give them their full name, were actually rather good kit. They included all manner of stuff to keep a soldier fully fed under operational conditions in the field, and contained tins of food, bars of chocolate, packs of boiled sweets, tea, coffee, biscuits (well, practically hard tack in their case), and so on. The retail cost in todays terms might be as much as fifteen to twenty quid, if bought individually. The Army paid (and still does, a couple of decades later) much less, of course. The tins usually comprised one tin for breakfast, normally bacon grill or similar, two tins for the main meal, and a dessert tin, such as mixed fruit pudding, fruit in syrup, or something along those lines. The two tins for Squaddie Stew to be available were minced steak in gravy (with onions), and Mixed Vegetables (in water). the normal way to cook these were to bang a dent in the sides of the tins, and plonk them in a mess tin, which was then filled with water to half-way up the dented tins. you then cooked it over a 'tommy cooker' or "cooker, field, individual, hexamine fuelled, folding, soldiers for the burning of", until the sides of the dented tins popped out again. You then opened them very carefully, considering that the contents were now supernova-hot and under pressure (Boyles law, anyone?)... Squaddie Stew, on the other hand, was a damn sight easier. You dumped the contents of the tins into the mess tin, sprinkled a sachet of 'Beef Stock drink' (basically a powdered OXO cube in a sachet) over the top of it, and cooked away, stirring as required to prevent burning, and unless you were a complete Muppet, good flavour, consistency, and a satisfying meal - even when it was bucketing down with rain - were pretty-much guaranteed. There were pros and cons with both methods, of course. The dented tin method meant that you had a clean mess tin at the end of the day, and a quick rinse with cold water sorted out the tin for next time. The Squaddie Stew method resulted in a tin that really needed to be washed and cleaned immediately you finished your meal, which meant that two of you grouped together, one of them cooking the pairs main meals in his mess tin, over his cooker, the other keeping a simmering - or at least very hot - hot mess tin of water on the go, for tea/coffee and washing water. You also found out who your really good mates were with Squaddie Stew if no-one yelled something like "OI! you greedy gannet!" or suchlike (normally rather foully-worded during the meal)! Anyhow, back to the present, it looks like I'll be doing some other, more civilian menu instead, requiring about ten times the effort, come Monday. Oh well. It was a nice idea while it lasted! * No Troops were stewed in the making of this entry! :nut: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 You underhanded temptress !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Posting a link to a valued and much sought product that does not work...... Bacon Grill not seen!!!!! Tim!:wow: They've changed the page, and reduced the price! http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/search/default.aspx?searchBox=bacon%20grill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 They've changed the page, and reduced the price! http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/search/default.aspx?searchBox=bacon%20grill Stand fast the Holy Ghost then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Our cooks used to make "all-in curry" which -as the name implies - meant opening every can and sachet of food and dumping it, along with the contents of a tub of curry powder into a dixie which was then put beside another dixie full of rice on top of the flame trench for a No1 field burner (aka Cooker, cooks constipation for the curing of). Sounds revolting but when doshed into a mess tin together with tea scooped from a third dixie in a 58 pattern mug was actually very edible and every one went back for more. Last man to empty the dixie got the job of cleaning it out! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 I'm amazed, but delighted, at the responses to my light-hearted original post.....the feedback since has highlighted many of the items I'd long forgotten about (in some cases, rather fortunately...:cheesy:).......it's great to get so much feedback and the memories of others.....we all suffered the same !! This is this area of the Forum at its best.........:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
43rdrecce Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I posted these photos in an earlier thread on 10 man packs but here they are again for your culinary enjoyment! I bought two them, badly listed on eBay for 99p each! Not only that the seller was only a few miles from me so no postage either. Both boxes date to 1974. Cheers Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferretfixer Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 They've changed the page, and reduced the price! http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/search/default.aspx?searchBox=bacon%20grill It wouldnt be the same, it's not in Tins!.......................Lol! Ah.....Nostalgia, it isnt what it used to be!....................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferretfixer Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Id quite forgotten aboutb the blue plastic salt dispensers! VERY usefull, even for shows today. Keeps the salt nice & dry if you add half a dozen grains of DRY rice into them. (Absorbs any moisture that MAY get in & prevent the salt clogging into lumps!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferretfixer Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Our cooks used to make "all-in curry" which -as the name implies - meant opening every can and sachet of food and dumping it, along with the contents of a tub of curry powder into a dixie which was then put beside another dixie full of rice on top of the flame trench for a No1 field burner (aka Cooker, cooks constipation for the curing of). Sounds revolting but when doshed into a mess tin together with tea scooped from a third dixie in a 58 pattern mug was actually very edible and every one went back for more. Last man to empty the dixie got the job of cleaning it out! :-D Neil, A common paractice with MOST units in the field, with centralised catering. Must have been a standard instruction from the ACCs training school! Nothing got wasted in the Field, food wise. suplemented with 20% fresh rations (Veg) it was quiet palitable as I remember.............. I shudder to think of some of the things that quite possibly MAY have gone into 'All in'. But it never did us any harm I guess?.................:0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Beans in tomato sauce, fruit cocktail.....and mashed potato powder.......oh the memories...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer nut Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 (edited) Ermmmmmmmmmmmm... do you wanna know what I hauled 250 miles home yesterday..... 150Kg of rat packs see my Album http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/album.php?albumid=581 Just thought I'll make you cry. Jon Ps. this was an earlier thread http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?22757-1970-80s-Rations&highlight=ration maybe an ADMIn could merge the two threads? Edited May 7, 2012 by Panzer nut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 And I notice, the Hexi burners to cook it. Barbeque night at the clubhouse then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan869 Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 This is what it´s all about:D Compo. We used to get one man packs. It was pot luck. Some were okay but most of it was a good substitute for underseal for the car. Treacle Pudding. That lost me a grade on the final exercise in Brecon. It made me absolutely sick. Couldn´t get rid of it and it ended up the only thing I had left and 24 hrs left in the snow. Blood sugar must have gone down to about 2 and I flipped out. If we were out for say 5 or six days they would issue with 2, one man ration packs. When the new blokes used to complain they were told -use your Para initative- or -live off the land- So there was always a few live rounds about (so I´ve been told:rolleyes:) just incase we bumped into a sheep or such:D Fourty years on (God I´m old:red:) Still works perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffleese Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 The Cheese THE CHEESES! Could be used to repair boot soles, fix radiator leacks, place tin in issue sock and it was a devestating close range weapon. A pice of string pocked down through and you have a candle. Any thing but eat the bloody stuff! Apparently it was illeagal to feed it to prisoners. Now Babies Heads, I still drool over the thought of Baby Head and Smash. Followed by dried apple and sugar, if the apple hadn't gone into the porridge. My attention could always be diverted by a slice of compo fruit cake with a slice of cheese possessed on it. Something that my Det commanders very quickly realised............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 This is what it´s all about:D Compo. We used to get one man packs. It was pot luck. Some were okay but most of it was a good substitute for underseal for the car. Treacle Pudding. That lost me a grade on the final exercise in Brecon. It made me absolutely sick. Couldn´t get rid of it and it ended up the only thing I had left and 24 hrs left in the snow. Blood sugar must have gone down to about 2 and I flipped out. If we were out for say 5 or six days they would issue with 2, one man ration packs. When the new blokes used to complain they were told -use your Para initative- or -live off the land- So there was always a few live rounds about (so I´ve been told:rolleyes:) just incase we bumped into a sheep or such:D Fourty years on (God I´m old:red:) Still works perfectly. Live rounds - you never wasted taxpayers £sd on food did you?? We'd have got shot ourselves for doing that - anyone wanting fresh mutton (or lamb in season) officially used either the garotte or the FS having first spent a goodly time chasing the damned thing. (Did I hear some sneaky, underhanded person say the dirty word "crossbow"....:whistle::readbook:) Fresh fish came care of a thunderflash.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan869 Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 Live rounds - you never wasted taxpayers £sd on food did you?? We'd have got shot ourselves for doing that - anyone wanting fresh mutton (or lamb in season) officially used either the garotte or the FS having first spent a goodly time chasing the damned thing. (Did I hear some sneaky, underhanded person say the dirty word "crossbow"....:whistle::readbook:) Fresh fish came care of a thunderflash.... :rofl::rofl::rofl:Lots of things we did that -were frowned on- but we always got the job done so there were very few reprisals. It was called -airborne initiative-:cool2:. Standing the PM -and party- up against the wall on one occasion for not stopping at our guard post. Didn´t go down very well either. They just wandered past the sentry when challenged and made no effort to show some ID. The sentry shouted and within a couple of seconds -the party- were surrounded by blokes with cocked weapons. Needless to say they showed their ID, just like everybody else. That episod has never come out and I´m only going from what I´ve heard of course;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 :rofl::rofl::rofl:Lots of things we did that -were frowned on- but we always got the job done so there were very few reprisals. It was called -airborne initiative-:cool2:. Standing the PM -and party- up against the wall on one occasion for not stopping at our guard post. Didn´t go down very well either. They just wandered past the sentry when challenged and made no effort to show some ID. The sentry shouted and within a couple of seconds -the party- were surrounded by blokes with cocked weapons. Needless to say they showed their ID, just like everybody else. That episod has never come out and I´m only going from what I´ve heard of course;) Heh, heh!! How about the infamous "Rottweiler" + then husband + party of followers stopped at bayonet point from entering the DoY whist trying to gate crash an invitation only party which had a certain member of the Royal Family as guest of honour and escorted back to car park. All under orders of the OOD... :angel: Nothing to do with that era's compo ration packs - although her face would probably have curdled all the tins of condensed milk in a 4 tonner load of 10-man packs... Come to think of it - it probably still would!! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan869 Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 (edited) Heh, heh!! How about the infamous "Rottweiler" + then husband + party of followers stopped at bayonet point from entering the DoY whist trying to gate crash an invitation only party which had a certain member of the Royal Family as guest of honour and escorted back to car park. All under orders of the OOD... :angel:Nothing to do with that era's compo ration packs - although her face would probably have curdled all the tins of condensed milk in a 4 tonner load of 10-man packs... Come to think of it - it probably still would!! :-D We did have some fun didn´t we:D The day they bombed the Co-op on York Street (for the second time). Me watching out for the OCs back when from around the corner comes the dullset tones of a certain clergyman. -Booming- out his opinions as usual. Wait till he gets to the corner and then stick my boot out:-) Does a terrible forward roll, gets up shouting -who´s in charge of this maaan- The rest is history;) Funny how quite a few of the compo -cocktails- were quite good but a lot of them were hiddious. Wonder if anyone has managed to get the -menus- for the different -assortments-:red: No -divvy- in this Co-op:shocked: Edited May 14, 2012 by alan869 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazzaw Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 One thing I enjoyed was the tube of jam (usually Blackcurrant, raspberry, gooseberry or Damson) great to suck out on a tab or spread over the hard tack. The other was the green tube of margarine to fry with or lube rusty items and waterproof weapons- smelled rancid though. Remember the baconburgers (in different menu box from bacon grill - wrapped in grease and heartburn for most of day) One supplementary ration from the NAAFI was the small tins of creamola foam to add to the purified 'swimming pool' water bottle. Character building and great times Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zootog Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Oh I yearn for those compo sausages in the 4/10 man rat packs, all that fat packed around them, used to pierce the top, slap around my LR manifold, 15 minutes later hot wall sausages Yummm...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barrym Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 On 5/3/2012 at 8:56 PM, airportable said: Guess what I'm working on for our living history displays! Found exact size tin in the local supermarket (peas only though....yet!) Need to sort correct colour varnish for the tin. Mate as sorted a few transfers so I can do a trial run. Still need exact tin sizes for any other products 70-early 80's. I know this is an okd post , but is there a link to the person who made these transfers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 Funny how things change. That much maligned ass ripping bog roll, is probbaly one of your most highly valued possecions now. 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
super6 Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 5 hours ago, Tony B said: Funny how things change. That much maligned ass ripping bog roll, is probbaly one of your most highly valued possecions now. 😁 Not the same as the "tracing paper" of school days by any chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.