This book tells the story of the rum ration issued
to the Royal Navy over a period of two centuries. While
this liquid refreshment is the theme of the book, the
story is very much that of the social conditions within
the Navy over that time, from the introduction of the rum ration in the 17th century
to its abolition (as an economy measure) m 1970. The story details all the alcoholic
beverages supplied to the seamen along with the type and quality of the food ration.
The story begins in 1655 when rum was first issued on board ships of the Royal
Navy, though unofficially. The reason for its issue was that sailors drank either water
or beer supplied in wooden casks. The water went foul very quickly (if it was not so
when first brought on board), and the beer was usually of such poor quality that it went
sour within weeks.
During the 1650s there was an increasing presence of Royal Navy ships in
the West Indies. When stocks of beer became depleted on these vessels, the
captain was allowed to replenish these stocks with locally acquired wine, and
sometimes brandy. Rum was readily available in the West Indies, was cheap, and
remained sweet for so much longer. The issue of alcohol on board ship was
conducive to good morale, but the early issues of rum must have been very raw
compared with the later issue! Not unnaturally, the sailor's liking for rum spread
throughout the Navy.
Captain Pack's narrative explains the story of the drink in a lucid and
entertaining manner. Rum derives its name from saccarum, meaning sugar, but it
was also known in an early form as rumbustion, a 17th century word thought to
have originated in the sugar cane plantations.
The official association of rum with the Royal Navy came in 1740.
Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon had a natural humanity and concern for the seamen
under his command. Until 1740 seamen drank their rum issue as raw spirit, which
was not conducive to working efficiently, especially in the rigging! As additional
alcohol was often smuggled aboard, especially when in port, sober sailors were
very rare indeed! Vernon issued instructions that the rum was to be issued in the form of a 'daily allowance of l/2 pint a man, every day mixed with the proportion
of a quart of water to every 1/2 pint of rum'. The rum and water were mixed in a
scuttlebutt on deck and served to the men, watched over by the Lieutenant of the
watch. There were two servings each day. The mixture was given the name Grog
after Admiral Vernon, whose nickname was Old Grogram, on account of the
heavy waterproof boatcloak he was fond of wearing.
Nelson's Blood follows the story of this rum ration over the next two
centuries, looking at the various reductions in the ration and the variation in the
water/rum proportions. This is set against the changing social conditions within
the Royal Navy. While the life of the British seaman is examined, the book also
describes the attitude of the country to the Royal Navy, both in time of peace and
war. Seamen over the centuries have been able to imbibe a variety of drinks on
board ship, and this work examines the types of alcoholic beverage available; the
seamen's preference; how they were issued; and the problems incurred in storing
volatile liquid in the hold of a ship.
The late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries provided much in the way
of activity for the Royal Navy, and it is only natural that there is a large section on
this period. There are also chapters on various stories relating to rum and the navy
in the 19th and 20th centuries; looking at the personal side of the subject. The
word grog is indelibly entwined with the story of the Royal Navy, and this
combined story has been told in Nelson' Blood in an extremely informative and
entertaining manner. If you have an interest in the Royal Navy then you will find this
work of great interest.
More Book Reviews
Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #30 This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
by Captain James Pack
Published by Alan Sutton 1995 (First published in 1982)
Paperback, 196 pages, 41 black & white and 4 colour pictures
ISBN 0-7509-1082-8
1812: Napoleon in Moscow
Britannia Rules: The Classic Age of Naval History 1793-1815
The Most Monstrous of War
© Copyright 1996 by First Empire.
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