BETTER TIMES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 January 1941, Page 8

BETTER TIMES

TRENTHAM CAMP TODAY j i COMPARISONS WITH LAST WAR. I IMPROVEMENTS IN FOOD. When the young civilian soldier I passes into camp he takes a big stride I and he is conscious of tremendous i changes in his way of living and his outlook. He puts oil much of his individual liberty and makes his first gesture of sacrifice when he leaves his civil clothes. It has always beer, the same with soldiers, but the soldier's I life in 1941 is a career vastly diTerent ■ from that of the old days, different; from the days of 1914-18. Camp life is a man's life and in the, modern military camp the young soldier finds new happiness when once he has settled down. The veteran of' 1914-18 will tell him that Trentham now is palatial compared with the Trentham of their day—a bleak, gritty show —clouds of dust in summer mid in winter the famous Trentham mud. Today the civilian soldier goes t<> a parade ground with a dustless surface in what appears to him a perfect pocket borough with all its streets paved. The old Camp Road, once a dreary route stretching its powdery way intg the range, is now a coo! tree-lined highway. The camp entrance is set amid flower beds and lawn, and the administrative headquarters would do credit to any local authority in the Dominion —Colonel H. D. McHugh. M.C.. the Camp Commandant, is frequently the administrative chief of a population of over five thousand. There arc seventeen streets to serve 467 buildings in this ’Town," which boasts also a great motor .nark, reminder of that mechanisation which is the new and big feature of modern warfare. "You’re in the army now," is the thought which enters his mind as he : passes into Trentham Camp. Ho has I become a number on the company roll, • but though he may not be immediate- : ly conscious of the fact, he has also i become the object of much serious 1 thought and care.

• The word “vitamins” did not appear lin the Royal Army Medical Corps 1 manual in the last war “calories' - i was the word then. The soldier's ale--5 tary was obedient to calorific stand- ■ ards. He was to have 3.000 or so on i each day for usual parades, rising to 1.000 on active service. Meat. peas, j beans and such-like concentrated nour- . ishment were always on the menu and i "Trentham stew"’\bocame a monument .■ by reason of its persistent repetition, j The old soldier, with envy beyond his ; richest adjectives, reads a menu for i today. There is no stew! At the mid- ; day meals—the a.my “dry” rations. I not the principal meal of the day—the i menu shows soup on live occasions | ami in four varieties. The rest of the ; meal is made up of bread and butter, j jam, cheese, fresh fruit and tea. i Cheese and fresh fruit appear every j day of the week, and a j'ootnotv j ■’lettuce and spring onions" indicates i that these appear when available. One i day honey is substituted for jam Ask--1 ;ll g if "plum and apple" still ruled in i army menus. Charles; E. Wheeler was told by a Quarter-master: “Na, It T poach today. And when he was asked ‘ if the 194! soldiers would like pdum i and apple, he remarked that they prob- ' ably would since it would be rather a j .novelty, i Dinner, served in the ’evening after ■ ’.he day’s work, is the principle tnea!. Mr Wheeler found that the diet sheet ; on live full working days included always roust meat— beef, mutton or w.o ’ with two vegetables, and was I’ollowi .‘d by sweets. In the ok! days the ! sta; Io sweet was boiled rice <with ras--1 eri'.e'lines iiwerti-d whet! there ■was ;« demand for variety), in the j WOi •. 11 Ced Ik-' eji.ln i L’>, ?>!i Wneelct found the sweets to be: Lemon sago. ■ rhubarb custard, steamed pudding i creamed rice and steamed pudding. | Ihe aim of those responsible I- t i Trentham's meals is a balm.ee:’ dwt ' suited to the needs .men. do.ng day Y hard muse uh r w rk its - ■- Thus the tneidii are not delicate e <nfeciiomv ‘I hey ~re subsmiitla! ami im appear;. l ,ee of 'he men is the test mdieation that they mmrcei.de the <jual-. dy ;md quantity. The consuniptii n• : milk encou-igcd at Tnmthiim j n : ■ ■ • , . • , . •. ‘’’.U\A Hit.tUYV Om-v-(.’‘J.'.rth !'<• <.f .J which y quarter t-f a i nruw ’hat : ■ • . n . .■ :•. . bx . '' 11l I '' ‘ ■ cih<‘ < uf ■ • ■; .! A <- A. UU > - ■ ■ : • iij •. m ’ ’ ■ . . . -.i ’ ’.. iu i • r \ :.. . ■ j ••. • • ’ *.« . , ■. • ’ ft- -d - :; e i ? ft! 'ThY ’- ; iC? I «'"J ! .: ; i. s'. \ ; ! 1 X S ' rr, ;