Marching 'At Ease'.

[Tony B]

Anyone know when the habit of the British Army being allowed to smoke a pipe when marching stopped?

[fv1609]

Tony, this was the view in 1912. Smoking on the march was merely "discouraged" rather than prohibited. This extract does refer to cigarette-smoking it seems in the belief that it is "the most harmful form".

 

Smoking in barracks seemed to only talk in terms of pipe smoking. Men were advised not to share their pipes & boys were encouraged not to smoke at all.

 

I can find no other references to pipes in that context. Complaints about "itching of the pipe" do occur but I think that leads us somewhere else.

 

[Tony B]

So the anti smocking brigade were at it even then! :-D Intresting though, same sort of attitude as the current Army Saftey magazines.

Intrestingly it was only during and post Great War that cigaretes became the fashion. Though I do remember Navy Duty Free Blue Liners in 1972

[fv1609]

It took others to seize the initiative in health awareness.

 

http://www.junkworthknowing.com/medicine/nazi_hitlers_anti-smoking_movement