Another Recipe from Gallipoli

1st/5th Bedfords' dug out at Gallipoli (from The History of the Fifth Battalion, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (TA)) 

Monday 6th December 1915: Readers may remember a recipe from Gallipoli for biscuit and date pudding on 17th October. Today we can print another item for the Soldiers’ Cookbook, this from Lance Corporal Alfred Carr of 1st/5th Bedfords(1) who has now left the peninsula with the Battalion. He added a little flour, water and milk, no eggs (there are none in Gallipoli!) and some health salts, taking the place of baking powder.

Lance Corporal Carr learned to cook whilst in 9th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. He says that this pudding will accompany roast beef. He and his companion went so far as to think it could have been made by his mother! The two have made an oven in their dugout with a biscuit tin in the ground with a fire underneath.

Source: Bedfordshire Times 10th December 1915

(1) Sadly Acting Lance-Sergeant Alfred Carr, from Biggleswade, would be killed in action on 3rd November 1917 during the aftermath of the 3rd Battle of Gaza; he is buried in Gaza War Cemetery.

News of the Shiny Seventh

Tuesday 7th September 1915: Sergeant H. Hassall sends us the following good news of the “Shiny Seventh” Battalion, Beds Regiment: - “For some time past now I’ve noticed what a lot has been said about the 1st, 2nd and 1st/5th Battalions of the Bedfordshire Regiment (they are worthy of it for work done), but as yet nothing at all about the 7th Battalion (Shiny 7th). It is not even generally known that we are in France. I had a letter from a friend of mine the other day who was quite surprised to know we had crossed the water. Because he saw nothing mentioned in your paper, he had come to the conclusion that we were a “Stay-at-home” crowd. This Battalion has now been out here over a month, and it may interest your readers to know that we have been following up the 1st Battalion, using the same trenches. Since being out here we have had drafts from the 9th and 10th Battalions stationed at Colchester. Every blessed mother’s son of us is in the best of condition and spirits, working and grousing as only a soldier can, and also quite ready for anything that may be asked of us, to do our duty for the dear ones we have left behind in the old country. We have a good many in this Regiment who come from Bedford, including myself, and only those who know me are aware of the hard training we had on Salisbury Plain, to fit us for the work out here. You will, I know, hear more of us in the near future, as all intend to uphold the honour of our comrades and our county. Your paper is sent out to me every week from home and gets passed round my Company”.

Source: Bedfordshire Times 17th September 1915