Army Rations, etc.

[Dave Wilton]

> My father who was also Alan Metcalf's uncle came back from
> his service in
> the military during WWII with what he called an "officer's canteen".
>
> The difference between this canteen and the one issued to
> regular soldiers
> was that it was porcelain lined so that officers could use it
> in order to
> carry booze in without the alcohol eating out the lining and poisoning
> anyone who drank from it.
>
> Has anyone else ever heard of such a thing?
>
> I wonder if antyhing like that was ever described in army regs.

I have never heard of such a thing. It would not be an official item of
issue. Rather it would be something an officer bought for himself on the
civilian market. I would look in old Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs rather
than government sources.

Since WWII canteens were metal, alcohol wouldn't "eat out" the lining or
cause poisoning. The use of porcelain was probably to prevent the liquid
inside from leeching bits of metal and changing the taste. Even water that
has been sitting in a metal canteen for a while begins to taste bad.

There are all sorts of "aftermarket" military accoutrements like this. My
favorite was a nylon holder for a bottle of Tabasco sauce that clipped onto
one's ammunition belt--Tabasco is vital to make MREs palatable and is
something every soldier carries.