What are Trench Stores?

Saturday 18th March 1916: The adjutant of the 7th Battalion mentioned casually to us that he had just been checking the trench stores in preparation for handing them over to another unit when the battalion was relieved in the front line. Intrigued as to what they are we asked him and he gave us a list. They are things which stay in the trench for the benefit of the unit manning it, they notionally belong to one unit or another but are used in common by all.

The stores are as follows:

• 8 trench stretchers;
• 4 1½ inch Verey pistols belonging to 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment;
• Periscopes;
• 4 visual signalling lamps belonging to the Bedfords;
• 4 stands for the visual signalling lamps belonging to the Bedfords;
• 2 telescopes belonging to the Bedfords;
• 2 stands for the telescopes belonging to the Bedfords;
• 12 discs belonging to the Bedfords
• 1 twelve way commutator belonging to the 6th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment(1);
• 324 ammunition magazines (216 belonging to the Northamptons and 108 to the Bedfords)(2);
• 4 tripods (2 belonging to the Bedfords and 2 to the Northamptons);
• 16 panniers belonging to the Northamptons;
• 8 boilers per company for a total of 32;
• 2 camp kettles per company for a total of 8;
• 10 camp kettles for Battalion Headquarters;
• 4 fryers per company for a total of 16

Source: X550/8/1

(1) A device for altering the course of electrical current

(2) Probably Lewis Gun magazines