Rolling Kitchen

A forum for general topics and questions.
old gunnie

Gday all, I'm new to this Society and this is my first post, so here goes;
Does anyone out there have any knowldge and data on WW1, horse drawn Field Kitchens?

I belong to a WW1 Light Horse reenactement Troop in Queensland Australia, the 2nd LH Locker Valley Troop, we are managing to find a lot of Troopers gear here in Aus but we cant find anything on field kitchens and of course to make it slightly more difficult we want a fully functional kitchen that we can use at Heritage days and events.

We have so far the horses, and the field, and thats all!
So as you can see we have a fair way to go.

We have Tradies who can maybe construct one from the plans, and of course saddlers and more importantly, retired blokes like me ready to give it a go.

So can anyone over there in the Old Dart help out some slightly potty Colonials with info,data, plans, drawings and photos of the WW1 Field Kitchen?
Pat Holscher
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old gunnie wrote:Gday all, I'm new to this Society and this is my first post, so here goes;
Does anyone out there have any knowldge and data on WW1, horse drawn Field Kitchens?

I belong to a WW1 Light Horse reenactement Troop in Queensland Australia, the 2nd LH Locker Valley Troop, we are managing to find a lot of Troopers gear here in Aus but we cant find anything on field kitchens and of course to make it slightly more difficult we want a fully functional kitchen that we can use at Heritage days and events.

We have so far the horses, and the field, and thats all!
So as you can see we have a fair way to go.

We have Tradies who can maybe construct one from the plans, and of course saddlers and more importantly, retired blokes like me ready to give it a go.

So can anyone over there in the Old Dart help out some slightly potty Colonials with info,data, plans, drawings and photos of the WW1 Field Kitchen?
Welcome on board Gunnie.

We've recently updated the forum, so the search feature temporarily isn't bringing up all the old post easily. When that's revamped, you'll be able to search and find some photos. I'll see if I can locate them and bump them up in the mean time.

Any how, on WWI vintage field kitchens, we do have some photos up. We have photos of U.S. Army field kitchens from that era up, both along the border with Texas and in Europe. I know that I uploaded the one showing the field kitchen in use in Europe.

We also have photos of the German field kitchen in use, and we have some good photos of the German type field kitchen presently on display in a Finnish museum, given as Finland copied and used the pattern. And we have photos of the Russian field kitchen in use in the Russo-Japanese War, but that same pattern was used in WWI.

Off hand, I can't think of any photo up on the British pattern field kitchen, but I suspect we can locate some.
Couvi
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Welcome, Gunny.

Search the Internet for ‘Rolling Kitchens’ from the WWI period. There is a bit out there if you have the patience to search for it.
Pat Holscher
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I just bumped up the thread depicting the Finnish field kitchen.

Here's a photo of Australian troops in the field during WWI with a horse drawn field kitchen:

http://cas.awm.gov.au/screen_img/E00389

Painting of a field kitchen:

http://cas.awm.gov.au/TST2/ump.retrieve ... parm2=2000

We have some photos up of similar British field kitchens in use up here somewhere:

http://cas.awm.gov.au/TST2/ump.retrieve ... parm2=2000

http://cas.awm.gov.au/TST2/ump.retrieve ... parm2=2000

Korean War photo. Looks like Australia went to the mermite cans like everyone else:

http://cas.awm.gov.au/photograph/MELJ1002

These are all from the Australian War Memorial. We have permission to put their photos up, so if the links do not work, I may do that. Their site is at: http://www.awm.gov.au/
Pat Holscher
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Somebody asked about these recently.
Pat Holscher
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Images courtesy of Couvi:

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Image

Image
Couvi
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Pat Holscher wrote:Images courtesy of Couvi:

Image
Field Rolling Kitchen, animal drawn, Steinburn. Note the short tongue.

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Field Rolling Kitchen, animal drawn, Magor.

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Field Rolling Kitchen, mobile trailer, Liberty
Pat Holscher
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Couvi wrote:
Pat Holscher wrote:Images courtesy of Couvi:

Image
Field Rolling Kitchen, animal drawn, Steinburn. Note the short tongue.

Image
Field Rolling Kitchen, animal drawn, Magor.

Image
Field Rolling Kitchen, mobile trailer, Liberty
Couvi, are these in generational order?
Couvi
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Pat,
Pat Holscher wrote:
Couvi wrote:
Pat Holscher wrote:Images courtesy of Couvi:

Image
Field Rolling Kitchen, animal drawn, Steinburn. Note the short tongue.

Image
Field Rolling Kitchen, animal drawn, Magor.

Image
Field Rolling Kitchen, mobile trailer, Liberty
Couvi, are these in generational order?
I think they were all in service at the same time. I am not sure when the first rolling kitchens made their appearance in the US Army, but I believe it was during or just before WWI, and followed the French and British models. In America’s Munitions, by Benedict Crowell, it illustrates these being brought back from Europe in crates and stacked in their storage location. As the stacks progressed, a building was simultaneously constructed around them. I have often wondered how they got them out.
mnhorse
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I recall reading about and seeing a picture of a rolling "coffee boiler" in use during the American Civil War. I believe it was operated by the U.S. Sanitary Commission rather than the Army.

We were doing "individual ration cooking" as late as 1964. While I was part of a U.S. Army Engineer Field Problem Umpire Team at Camp A P Hill, VA (now Fort A P Hill); no messing facilities were provided for the Umpire Team. The officers and Senior NCOs got into a vehicle and went to their respective "clubs" at the fort for meals. The "other ranks", like me, got some Korean war dated "C" and/or "K" rations. Some of those were pretty.....bad, shall we say.
Richard
Pat Holscher
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mnhorse wrote: Some of those were pretty.....bad, shall we say.
But you gotta love the names on the rations.

My favorite is the canned meat labeled "Chicken or Turkey". Chicken or turkey? A chicken sure doesn't look like a turkey. . .sorta makes you wonder about the packer.
Pat Holscher
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Here's an interesting item I've never previously seen a photo of, a rolling bakery. Here we see these in Turkish use, but a lot of Turkish equipment of this period is German, so I wonder if this is a German pattern.

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Rolling field kitchens in Turkish use. I think these are likely the German pattern:

Image
Couvi
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The International Military Digest Annual: A Review of the Current Literature of Military Science for 1915-1918
By Cornélis De Witt Willcox, Edwin Roy Stuart
Published by Cumulative Digest Corporation, 1918

Notes from Here and There in Mexico. Collected from Correspondence. Infantry Journal, February 1917. [3500 words.]
In regard to mess equipment, that of Equipment "A" is satisfactory, but should be supplemented with field ovens of individual manufacture. These every officer and mess sergeant should know by practice how to construct, since they add 75 per cent, to the mess. Buzzacott's rolling goulash cannons produced good liquid food, but were mule killers. Besides, the animals could have been used to better advantage for the wagons.
Couvi
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More from The International Military Digest Annual: A Review of the Current Literature of Military Science for 1915-1918
By Cornélis De Witt Willcox, Edwin Roy Stuart
Published by Cumulative Digest Corporation, 1918


Military Field Bakeries and Kitchens in France. Quoted from La Nature. Memorial de Artillería, November 1916. [400 words.] pages 456-457
One of the most difficult problems in war and one requiring the most careful attention of higher commanders, is the feeding of the soldier. La Nature has recently published a very interesting article on this matter, from which a few extracts will be given. The various corps of the army possessed field ovens, well constructed and in sufficient numbers, but the methods of preparing the food were old and not up to date. Up to the battle of the Marne, they failed in supplying food and even bread to the troops.

The military authorities at once attempted to correct these conditions, with the result that the army has been equipped with new matériel of this nature for the production of bread as well as the preparation of food. This matériel, as well as the methods employed appear to have given very satisfactory results. Without going into details, it may be stated that the field ovens are divided into three classes: Built- up ovens of a permanent nature, portable ovens, and automobile ovens. All of the above are arranged to cook at will biscuit or bread. The average production of one of these ovens is about 2000 loaves daily.

In the preparation of food, the old camp kettles have been abandoned for portable kitchens mounted on wheels, which accompany their respective battalions. These are set up in the open air about 2 kms. in rear of the front. One of the portable kitchens described in the above article consists of two parts. The first is a caisson or limber, divided into compartments for carrying the components of the ration. The second is the stove proper, in which the oven and two kettles for soup and coffee are to be found. In order to effect this, use is made The authorities have not only seen to it that the troops are supplied with food, but also that it is supplied to them hot wherever it may have to be consumed. In order to effect this, use is made of a Norwegian type of kettle for delivering the food to the troops. This kettle consists of two walls with a vacuum space between them, similar in principle to the well known "thermos" type of utensils.


Truck Use is for Portable Bread Bakery .
Commercial Vehicle, Sept 15, '17. 800 words. Photographs.] 457
This bread making machine is the only automatic unit in existence that will completely make a loaf of bread and perform all the functions customary to hand labor. It mixes the ingredients into dough, molds any shape of loaf desired, and divides it into predetermined weights. The only time lapse is while allowing the first batch of dough to rise.

The capacity of this machine is from 1000 to 6000 loaves of any size, weight or shape in one hour. With five men employed it will do the work that now requires the services of one hundred and twelve men. In addition the dough is mixed in a sanitary manner, the finished loaves being discharged into baking pans ready for the oven.

In camp, the machine may be operated by the truck's engine or electric power, a motor being part of the equipment. The truck engine operating at a speed of 500 r.p.m. will run the bread making machinery. Any one unit of the machinery may be run independently of the others.


Field-Kitchen Wagons: New Truck Kitchen can serve 2000 men an hour.
Commercial Vehicle, October 1917. [700 words. Illustrated.]
This new type of motor is capable of serving 2000 men three meals a day and with its crew of three men will replace twenty of the old style company kitchens, which require eighty men and forty horses for their operation.

The outfit is mounted on a 4-ton Riker truck and consists of a 10-h.p. vertical steam boiler, two co-gal, (?) soup, stew or pot-roast kettles and two 50-gal. coffee urns. The boiler is of the fire-tube type and burns coal, wood or oil. Both the kettles and the urns are of a special steam- jacketed type for quick boiling. They will raise water from 62 deg. Fahrenheit, to 212 deg. in 6 minutes. This time may be decreased by using the Penberthy injector on the boiler which puts water into the urns and kettles at 190 deg. Fahrenheit.

The boiler is mounted directly aft of the driver's seat, with a space to the rear between it and the two soup kettles to enable it to be fired. The two coffee urns are at the extreme rear. The side boards of the body may be folded down to form a platform for the serving crew, the tailboard also swings down and may be reached from the ground by a short flight of steps. A small amount of wood or coal fuel may be carried in the right side of the boiler, while a removable table is provided on the left side. (illegible) to furnish current for the officers' tent, for a searchlight and for the operation of a field wireless station.
Field Ovens in Mexico. By First Lieutenant J. W. Weissheimer, I7th Infantry. Infantry Journal, February 1917. [1700 words.]

(A description, with three detailed drawings, of how to construct in the field, where adobe or clay is obtainable, certain types of practical field ovens. Cautions as to what not to do and specific directions as to what to do fill the article. A special style of combination stove and oven, introduced by Cook Traylor Supply Co., I7th Inf., and known as the Traylor oven, is detailed at length. The author shows how this cooking apparatus, constructed from materials at hand, became not only popular but effective, one company turning out 150 loaves of bread in an afternoon.)
Pat Holscher
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Pat Holscher
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Couvi
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Pat,
Pat Holscher wrote:Image
I believe the first photograph illustrates a Taylor Rolling Kitchen. It is not illustrated in the photographs I submitted earlier, but is contemporary with them.
Pat Holscher
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Couvi wrote:Pat,
Pat Holscher wrote:Image
I believe the first photograph illustrates a Taylor Rolling Kitchen. It is not illustrated in the photographs I submitted earlier, but is contemporary with them.
Thanks.

As will become more apparent when I post a few more, that kitchen is actually set up on the back of a railroad flatcar. The cooks are cooking, and butchering meat, with the kitchen set up on the back. The troops they're serving must be in transit.
Pat Holscher
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Image
Pat Holscher
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Unloading field kitchens from a short line at the front:

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