WW1 Tobacco Seen As An Aid To Man

brightleaf · Jan 23, 2018

100 years ago tobacco was seen in a different light. Not only the government, but the Red Cross was fully behind the selling of tobacco to raise funds, and providing tobacco to soldiers far from home or in need of comfort in their hospitals. Below is a series of pictures that are pretty much self explanatory.

ww1-opening-tobacco-from-american-girls-tobacco-fund-600x262.jpg

philobeddoe · Jan 23, 2018

Thank you.

elpfeife · Jan 23, 2018

In my army days (1971-73) cigarettes were included with your field rations.

condorlover1 · Jan 23, 2018

My late Father used to trade his cigarette ration with the local Germans for camera equipment when he was part of the army of occupation in Berlin in 1945. I seem to remember him telling me they got 100 Players cigarettes a week in a tin and he would buy his pipe tobacco at the NAAFI store.

huntertrw · Jan 23, 2018

During the unofficial "Christmas truce" of 1914, some English, German, and French soldiers put aside the insane carnage for an all-to-brief moment and met in no-man's-land to, among other things, share tobacco and smoke together. If that's not an aid to man, then I don't know what is.

brightleaf · Jan 23, 2018

Here is a story abut the Christmas Truce from this link

https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-real-story-behind-the-1914-christmas-truce-in-world-1674671558

and a pic and description of the Princess Mary Christmas Box

jpmcwjr · Jan 23, 2018

Now that was a damned good woman! And there's a tin I'd pay good money for....

huntertrw · Jan 23, 2018

...there's a tin I'd pay good money for...

If you can find one today, then you would pay a pretty penny for they are highly prized as collectibles.
If memory serves that brass box was filled with 20 cigarettes, one ounce of compressed pipe-tobacco, a pipe, and a tinder lighter, all supplied by Dunhill, and was presented to officers. It also included a Christmas card, and an image of Her Royal Highness Princess Mary. Another version included chocolate and a pencil (in a rifle shell casing) in lieu of the smoker's items.

kcghost · Jan 23, 2018

This thread had great pictures with two great stories.

jvnshr · Jan 24, 2018

I have always liked this ad describing the Christmas Truce of 1914.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KHoVBK2EVE

didimauw · Jan 24, 2018

Thanks for posting that brightleaf, those were the good old days.

brightleaf · Jan 24, 2018

This musing is from the book A Textbook On Tobacco by Carl Werner. The info I have on the book says it is published in 1918 but the content reads like it was written in late 1914, which makes it relevant to WW1 and the Christmas Truce specifically. It seemed to go well with this thread in any case.

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