Rum During The Great War Analysis

This paper will attempt to further support the claim made by Tim Cook that rum was more than a drink, but a “medicine” for Canadian soldiers during the Great War. However, he asserts that prohibition was viewed as “patriotic” for those back in Canada. The dichotomous perspectives of rum and its necessity during the war is prevalent in the pieces by Cook and Thompson, as well as the primary documents consisting of letters sent home from soldiers that address and make mention of rum. The paper will argue the importance of rum as an integral part for maintaining morale of the soldiers within the trenches and the multiple, complex functions it served the soldiers overseas. Furthermore, the role of prohibition on the Home Front in Canada also provides …show more content…
Like any war, there needs to be morale amongst troops, otherwise there lies the possibility for mutiny and revolt amongst troops. For many of the men that enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the early years of the Great War, it could be argued that many of the men were enthusiastic to join the war and fight the Germans in a war for “patriotism”, “empire” and “honour”. However, these men faced the horrendous conditions that are synonymous with the First World; the mud, rats, lice and constant possibility of death. Cook maintains the importance of morale historically in relation to war and the influence of alcohol as a necessary means of readying oneself for battle, "Rum was an institutionalized and regimented part of the ritual of enduring the war. Throughout the history of warfare, soldiers from all nations have used forms of stimulants, including drugs and alcohol, before going into battle. For some men these were as necessary as the weapons they carried.” The infamous battle of Passchendaele is one example of the “hellish” and “horrific” battles that would be fought by Canadian troops, and certainly eroded the morale of men during the duration of July to November of 1917. …show more content…
These things simultaneously ate away at the morale of the men and the solution was none other than rum. In a letter home to his father, Daniel Spencer Reid informs his father of a friend that was “luckily” shot in the foot by machine gun fire while attempting to help fellow soldiers escape back into the trenches. He blatantly refers to his wounded friend Harry’s “luck” in the life or death situation, “…lucky he didn 't get it in the head, because Hieny (as we call him) as a rule generally makes a pretty good shot.” Towards the end of the same letter, Daniel Spencer Reid mentions his recent promotion to Sergeant after the previous ones had become wounded in battle and almost casually alludes to the speed in which men become casualties, resulting in the rapid promotion, “Sergeants got wounded last trip in and so they put three stripes on me. Doug Burris was made corporal, promotions are rapid over here.” The letter from Sgt. Reid to his father is an example of the rapid rate in which men become casualties, and therefore why their morale could easily be lowered through the daily grind of trench