Fantastic video! This really is a very well researched and well presented video, along with links for even more information. I am fascinated by this topic. I can relate a little bit because I was issued ration packs when I was in the Royal Canadian Artillery. These WWII 24 and 48 hour ration packs were essential for an invading force that may not have had a regular supply of food, due to battle conditions. We had three ration packs per day on exercise. Breakfast, lunch, and supper, but not under the same conditions as someone detached from a regular supply by the Service corps. Our ration packs were for the time we were on the march, or away from any Service Corps. supply line. I considered the rations to be pretty damn good and plentiful. The standards we have today in ration packs is really quite incredible. As years have gone by, soldiers have been getting better and better ration packs. On an artillery live fire shoot exercise, we were actually supplied with a hot meal served from large thermal containers brought from base. WWII soldiers were also offered the same luxury once the Service corps. advanced to the position of stabilized advanced forces. 24 and 48 hour ration packs would have been a great comfort in the early days of an invasion such as D-Day. Thanks very much Rifleman Moore and the other fellows of MECo. Thanks Ramsey for your research.

I've just looked at the Old Time Design Company and it's wonderful. Thank you for the link !

I really enjoyed this video; very informative! Would you consider making a video discussing how to reproduce or source the box contents?

Watching this to prepare for Montys Men next year! 😂...i think I'm gonna give up sugar until then!

Its amazing to see these. I would love to get hold of a repro sometime. Great video guys.

Excellent video hope there's more to come

I'm just catching up with all these great videos. I found this really interesting. I don't hear the veterans talking about their rations much either because of the questions posed by the interviewer or more distressing memories which take precedence so this was very valuable. Thank-you guys. My grandfather blamed his chronic stomach pain on the WW1 rations but I don't know if this was a common complaint.

So cool of you to do this thank you very much.

My search for a British WW2 ration pack is over, great video

At last a proper review on ww2 british rations. Good job

Thanks awfully for these videos chaps. I can't wait to give this a try.

Thanks for sharing , great information !

Top vid! I have been trying to replicate a decent 24 hr ration for several seasons now with varying success. I found information on this subject difficult to come by but I have managed. Main difficulty was separating fact from fiction. I can’t believe how many fake items are about! I also found slight differences in the Canadian version. My ration pack I have made using no edible contents so I don’t have to worry about storage but I will have a go at an edible version thanks to you guys! Cheers!

all this ration business reminded me, with great fondness, of a saying my grandfather had, I'm assuming from his WW2 AIF service. generally delivered during the meal at a full family gathering which he himself had cooked. delivered, with suitable voices, as if coming from men in different parts of a crowded mess tent. "Who called the cook a bastard?" short pause "Who called the bastard a cook!"

I know that this video has been up a long time but I have only just found it. Have you seen the video called "Army Catering (1944)" on you tube from British Pathe? it shows, amongst other things, the British 24 ration box in use including making a nice cup of tea. There are also a few compo ration in there as well.

Very interesting!

The meat block looks like pemmican. Great video. Mix the meat gravy and the oatmeal and you make Burgoo, which was a Royal Navy staple in the age of sail.

Great video. Any clarity on how long and at what temperature to cook the oatmeal blocks?

Great video how do you make the meat block

I can feel my blood sugar rising after hearing how much sugar was in there lol

Is there close up pictures available of the original 24 hour ration pack? Thank you and GOD Bless you and your families

Slightly OT but we got issued with some Compo rations in 72 in the JLR and I had a tin of processed cheese ( cheese possessed) dated 1956. and a tin of Damson jam from 1960.

Definitely going to give this a go, I have one that's been made up but never wanted to try anything as it's just been a display piece . One thing I did notice was after a time the boiled sweets I had started to go soft and leaked out so for now I've left them out.to be fair they'd been in there for about 5 years and were probably well past their sell by 😁 where did you find the toilet paper that's used in the box?

I tried one of those oatmeal blocks at Keighley - they were surprisingly nice. The meat block looked less than appetising though so I was surprised when you said it wasn't that bad. Also, are you planning any videos on the compo ration?

the german chocolate certainly had drugs in

How do I make the tea block

Do you guys have any plans to do the Canadian made British jungle ration?

Was this also used in late war period, for example in april 1945 ?

Water might be bad, chlorinated, hot sweet tea... hot ice cream.

I clicked on the guide and it said it was deleted?

So thats the Bully beef and buscuits my grandad used to tell me about....

Does Ramsey have a contact he would not mind sharing? I attempted to recreate the meat blocks and had some struggles and would love to ask him a few questions about preparing it.

I think the myth about the chocolate having been spiced up with amphetamine has it's roots in 2 things which were issued to the Wehrmacht in WW2. Firstly Schokacola, chocolate in round tins, contained caffeine and cola nut extract. Then there was what was known as Panzerschokolade, which wasn't chocolate, but pervitine (methamphetamine) tablets which were issued.

Looking at the recipe for the meat block, I have to ask for clarification. What is the “meat drippings”? Great videos.

Eat ya heart out Steve1989!

Can you do a how to make a repro 24 hour ration video?

Mutton is the best. Not just in rations, the best over all

I wonder if it bunged you up like 1980s ration packs?

I don't know if you have found a way to simulate a wax impregnated box or not, but I believe I have found the perfect method. I have posted a video on my channel on this very method. Take a look if you get a chance and let me know what you think.

What was being used from 1939-40?

Would not "Meat Extract Cubes" Be called Beef Bullion cubes? today? You'd eat of the meat "soup" if you'd been marching and fighting all day. As a long distant hiker, now retired, due to bad knee's. I ate things every day that I'd never do when at home. But I sill like SPAM.

The pdf guide has been deleted.

This looks like something that Steve1989MREInfo would be interested in

Four sheets of toilet paper? That's one sheet more than was officially deemed necessary. The three sheets were supposed to be used as follows:- One sheet for up and down, one sheet for side to side, and one sheet for polishing. 😀

Boiled sweets? Where is the dubbin, broken glass and old copies of Newsweek? Only fellow Monty Python fans will know what I mean.

For the tea you could add more water same for that meat ?

No audio couldn't watch

You guys are not properly dressed ....wheres your anoraks.....lol