Page 45 - Beverage Master February March 2020

Craft Beverage

while enjoying their favorite brew. A German/Anglo C.H. Williams, 5th Battalion, the Oxfordshire and
brewery in Tsingtao, China was in production at the Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, British Army, wrote
beginning of the war and was there when Japanese after Christmas of 1916: “We had our Christmas
forces attacked the German garrison taking control. dinner in Albert, France in an old sewing-machine
A graphic illustration of that attack is on exhibition factory. We had beer for our dinner - plenty of
at the museum. The brewery still exists. it - and a good tuck-in to go with it! Roast pork!
Beautiful after bully beef!” [Bully beef was canned
Changes in the opening and closing hours of pubs processed beef issued as a ration].
in England occurred during the war when the situa-
tion became dire from many of the war industries’ In England in 1918, the Hart Family Brewers pro-
workers spending more time drinking beer and duced a commemorative extra pale ale called the
“other intoxicating liquor” than producing artillery “Flyer.” It was brewed to honor Wellingborough,
shells and airplanes. The Defense of the Realm England’s “Own Flying Ace, Major Mick Mannock.”
(Consolidation) Regulations of 1914 specifically Major Mannock was a Victoria Cross recipient for
prohibited the sale and consumption “on weekdays his World War I actions in which he recorded 61
12 noon to 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on aerial victories with the Royal Flying Corps (later
Sundays [the same hours].” the Royal Air Force). He was killed over France on
July 26, 1918.
British soldiers wrote in their diaries about beer:
“Hallowe’en was celebrated in our billets – beer, Although the American Expeditionary Forces were
soup, roast beef, plum duff.” A. Stuart Dolden, 1st technically “dry,” prior to the US 18th Amendment
Battalion, London Scottish Regiment ratified in 1920, enterprising soldiers soon learned
where the beer and wine were. One US Signal
October 1916 – “I was amazed to get two bot- Corps photograph is captioned: “American soldiers
tles of Guiness to drink.” George Coppard, British in a captured German trench drinking beer out of
Machine Gun Corps, after being wounded. steins and smoking cigars.”

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