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I just finished reading 'The Battered Bastards of Bastogne' by Geo. E. Koskimaki and he refers two or more times about hot food being delivered to the line in "marmite jars"; I know what 'marmite' is but in my years of reading about U.S. military endeavors, I've never seen a referral to the marmite jars. Anyone know what they were/are? TIA. old crow
The word is actually “Mermite” more often called mermite container, can, or way back a mermite jar because of the shape. It was an insulated food transport container with GI proof handles and lid that was attached by an idiot cord or chain with heavy metal latches. They actually worked very good at keeping the food hot from the combat field kitchen to the lines. Not sure about the GI proof part as I once saw one get run over by a duce and a half. It did not make it.
Marmite with an "A" is I think some kind of nasty stuff British people eat :p
Hey that marmite is good stuff. :lol:Now the vegemite .....:madsmile::yikes:Quote:
Originally Posted by JBS
Thank you for the corrected spelling. I've never heard 'mermite' and George probably learned 'marmite' from his time in the U.K. before Bastogne. Marmite is ok but I prefer marmelaide. old crow
Heck, we had mermites when I was in the Army. We used to laugh at the scrambled eggs. On top they would be nice and yellow, but as you worked your way down in the container the eggs in the middle were green and the ones on the bottom were black. If you were in the back of the chow line you knew you were getting black eggs. Real nasty stuff.
Mr. Koskimaki wrote about the food being brought in the mermite jars to the lines where the troops often had no mess-kits so they rolled up a sleeve and dipped a hand in to get what they could; some of the troops passed on the food after too many dirty hands were put into the food.
I can remember one winter morning folding up all the seats and benches in my Huey and stuffing the old girl deck to ceiling with mermite containers full of HOT eggs, bacon, biscutes, white gravey, milk and coffee. When we landed in the field the Troops were so hungry we did not even unload, as soon as the blades stopped we kicked the doors open and just let the mess people serve right from the aircraft. Funny how you can all the sudden remember things like that. I bet the other aircraft that morning were wandering why the sky smelled so good. Hay thanks guys for triggering that memory. :thup:
We used mermite containers the whole 35 years I served. They changed from the US issue metal with three liners to a plastic tall one to a long low plastic one just a few years ago. It sure could be a pain to clean if you were kitchen fatiges in the feild, but it was better than endless cold grub when you were sitting in a hole somewhere.
The word jar might have come from the fact that the originals were round with, I believe, 2 inserts. What you all know as a Mermite Can is rectangular with 3 inserts. These came out in 1944 - at least that is the earliest date I've seen on one - and were identical to those made in 1984.
They also made good ice chests - take out the inserts, fill ½ full of beer and cover with ice. Course a ¼ ton trailer worked even better. :D
Sarge
A 'marmite' [French] is a rounded earthenware cooking pot. The proprietary substance called Marmite has an illustration of one on the label.
Our outfit didn't have nice stuff like that. For out in the bush on exercise, we were issued plastic bags of all sorts of junk: crackers, dry soup (and no water, mind you), canned cheese, hardtack that was left over from Korea (1951 dated!), a can of some strange meat concoction likely forbidden in ALL religious texts..... and canned potatoes. Did you know that 9-year-old canned potatoes can be used for artillery projectiles? AP, too! Absolutely impossible to do anything with.... except bury them and hope they don't hurt the bears.
Oh well, who needs the Canadian Militia, anyway? For two hundred and twenty bucks a year, you can afford to poison a few!
Lotsa laughs looking back!