Monday July 8th, 1918
Passed into France at midnight. Nice & Monte Carlo.
Voghera, Italy
I think Frank is a little ahead of himself. The Battalion is still in Northern Italy today and will push for the border when they entrain just before midday.
A few months before Lt Borgonon had also stopped in Voghera. His food was certainly much more varied and indulgent than Frank’s. In fact, it seems quite the picnic:
‘A long run to Voghera (sic) which we reached at 3 o’clock 29 Jan brought us to dinner time which consisted of oxo, crab, bully, figs, nougat, chocolates, red wine, anchovies, biscuits, cheeses and wonder of wonders – real butter. Here I might say a word for the inventor of Tommy’s cooker. It proved a blessing in disguise and all for 8d.’¹
Tommy’s Cooker
These were portable stoves, fuelled by solidified alcohol, that were issued to British troops in WWI. They were smokeless (to avoid attracting unwanted attention) but had a poor reputation. Apparently they could take hours to boil a cup of water. An improved version was used in WWII and even better ones are still in use today.²
Altered, and other privately bought, versions were also used extensively in WWI. Lieutenant Borgonon had obviously spent eight pence acquiring a more efficient one.
Widespread Use
As spotted in the shops and reported in The Observer in April 1915:
‘Messrs AW Gamage Ltd., Holborn, have on sale at the present time a little contrivance which goes by the name of ‘Tommy’s Cooker’. It consists of a small round tin fitted with a lid and filled with sufficient spirit (in solid form) to burn for quite a number of hours. A stand is provided into which the tin fits, and the whole forms a complete and very handy stove for cooking or warming food. It forms an acceptable gift for a man on active service in the trenches and the whole thing can be conveniently carried in a space 3ins square.’³
They were still being advertised as part of a comfort pack for soldiers at Christmas 1916 – as can be seen in this advertisement in The Guardian.**
Unfortunately the term ‘Tommy’s Cooker’ was also used by the Germans to describe early Sherman tanks in WWII. A design flaw with their ammunition storage meant that they could burst into flames.
13th (Service) Battalion War Diary – 8th July 1918 – Voghera, Italy
Arrived 09:30 hrs for breakfast. Departing 11:40 hrs.
References & Further Reading
¹ Salonika Diary 1918 by Lt V E Borgonon
² Tommy’s Cooker Encyclopedia of WWI
³ Article ‘In the Shops’ page 19 of The Observer. April 25th, 1915
* photograph of Tommy’s Cooker © Tommy’s Pack Fillers
** Advertisement in The Guardian newspaper, December 4th, 1916