TCD MS 10823 folio 18 recto
[April-Sept 1918] There were luckily a number of officers who had been prisoners for a considerable time and who had a good store of provisions put by from their parcels. Two of them very kindly invited Sloggett and me to their Mess and fed us until such time as our parcels began to arrive, which was not until nearly two months later.
All the new arrivals were divided up into Messes, and for those that were not taken on by old messes, collections were made from those that had stores, and food was periodically doled out to them.
We arranged, through the Kitchen committee, to draw only so much of the rations to which we were entitled as we wanted, & to exchange what we did not want for other supplies.
The German ration was however always very poor, one or two very thin slices of bread a day, meat once a week, and then only about one ounce per man, and this even was not given in the meatless weeks. Of potatoes we got a fair amount, except for two months in the summer when they were scarce and we were given none at all. Of carrots turnips and cabbages we had more than enough.
As a rule one officer in each mess used to prepare and arrange the meals for that Mess: he would prepare what was wanted for breakfast over night and hand it to his table orderly with instructions as to what to do. For lunch there were but few preparations, a tin of potted meat or sardines would be opened to eat with the soup or vegetables which formed the daily ration. After lunch however, much preparation and ingenuity would