BISCUITS - NON-EDIBLE
QUESTION?
Horace Roberts ex: GHQ Fayid 871 Plant Sqdn RE, 17 Fld Sqdn RE asks
DOES ANYONE REMEMBER BISCUITS?
Following my arrival at Aldershot to join the Royal Engineers at Gibraltar Barracks in August 1947, we had to “Fall In” three ranks outside the squadron office to receive the usual troop sergeants “Pep Talk” and we were told what was expected of us during our training etc etc. The troop sergeant then dismissed us and told us to go and get our “Biscuits”. All the guys thought “that sounds good, do they give us biscuits”, until we were directed to the Q stores. We were then issued with three large square cushion-like pads – these were for us to sleep on. They were, as far as the Army was concerned “Biscuits- Non Edible”.
Anyone who has slept, or tried to sleep on “Biscuits” will know
that they are not the most comfortable of things to sleep on, particularly if
you are a rough sleeper. They used to move around, come apart and let cold air
in, in the mornings. After reveille, we had to stack them at the bottom of the
bed, neatly, one on top of the other with a blanket wrapped around them, ready
for a billet inspection. I did learn that “Biscuits” were used for
troops in the First World War. I cannot recall that I ever used them again after
Aldershot and I certainly did not have them in Egypt on the Canal Zone, in any
of the camps I was billeted in.
CANAL ZONERS REMEMBER
THOSE BISCUITS
Peter Haughton ex: RASC 591 Coy 1947-50 - I first encountered these biscuits (ref: Horace Roberts, August Issue) in 1946 at 6 Training BN Yeovil where we were taught to drive lorries. No matter how tightly the blanket was wrapped around them, they always seperated during the night! I remember that two blokes preferred to sleep on the floor!
I can remember other things about the way we lived during that winter – it WAS cold! – “The coldest winter in living memory”. We lived in long wooden huts. There were radiators but NO fuel/coke so they remained cold. There was an outbreak of sore throats and they came round with buckets of gargle – “mass medication”. We had to scoop it out with our mugs. The next morning I reached for mine and found that it had frozen during the night!
After Christmas it started to snow heavily – villages were cut off etc.
When it was discovered that coke was available in nearby Exeter, we spent half
the night fitting snow chains to the lorries. Before we set off the next morning
we were warned about a steep hill on the way but by the time we reached that
hill most of the snow chains had come off! Several lorries ran into the one
in front but nobody cared, in fact we all thought it was great fun!!
Elsie Hancock (nee: Hodgkinson) ex: WRAF 109 MU Abyad 1952-53 - I was quite amused reading about “Biscuits” sent in by Horace Roberts ex GHQ Fayid. I was posted to RAF Abyad in February 1952. Six of us were billeted in a huge tent. We were directed to the stores to collect our bedding and were issued with 3 “Biscuits”, along with sheets, blanket and pillow.
The “Biscuits” seperated during the night and we were left trying
to sleep on the bed frame. Most uncomfortable but had to be endured until December
1953.