Cookhouse

Archived Content

Archived information is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.

A cook house was a mobile cooking facility set up several miles behind the front lines where hot meals were prepared for the troops. Soldiers delivering meals to the front often had to duck to avoid shell-fire. By the time meals reached the trenches they could be cold, wet and muddy.

Mr. Patenaude describes what kind of food the soldiers were served.

Transcript

What did the soldiers think of your cooking?

Not much. At the back when they were in reserve it was good but, carrying the rations in sandbags wrapped in papers, and the men walking towards the trenches and shelling coming along, you’d duck on the ground.

What did this food consist of?

Beef, hot beef. We had first-class food, mind you, not every day. Sometimes they had bully beef but the food we received was very good. We had potatoes and we had first-class beef, I can tell you that. Out of the fat of that beef we used to make drippings and we were doing that in the back line. They were using that, it was sent up to the reserves. They were eating that all the time.

Images

Caption: Field Kitchen

(Credit: Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/PA-023009)

Caption: Cook House, Ammunition Park, June, 1916

(Credit: Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/PA-000020)

Caption: Officers' cooks. June, 1916

(Credit: Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/PA-000153)

Caption: The Y.M.C.A. do business up in the firing zone. October, 1916

(Credit: Canada. Dept. of National Defence/Library and Archives Canada/PA-000944)

Date modified:: 2022-01-24

Language selection

Cookhouse

Archived Content

Transcript

Images

Table of Contents