Post
by donaldjcheek » Sat Sep 05, 2009 8:48 am
Michael,
At the time, I don't think the Irish had any specialized field rations. Neither, in fact, did the British, German, or any other major army. Almost all armies used some version of the "bully beef and biscuit" (the famous iron ration) in situations where the troops could not receive prepared meals. Only the US Army, with its concentrated Emergency Ration ("tobacco tin ration") departed from this basic canned meat & hard cracker strategy.
Most militaries of the time delivered cooked meals to troops in the field, with some version of the Iron Ration consumed when this was not possible. Not until WW2 would specially prepared ration packages be available for combat troops.
My educated guess is that the Oglaigh na hEireann ate from field kitchens most of the time, with corned beef and hard bread issued for emergency situations.
Regards
Donaldjcheek
"I think," said Christopher Robin, "that we ought to eat all our Provisions now, so that we shan't have so much to carry."