A Sailors Grog ?

[Del 80]

Hi, I have a service record for my other half's Grandfather, he served in the Royal Navy, on it, it says he was given 30 days detention, for "withholding rum", anyone know what this means? Regards Del.

[barbara lee]

Hi Del

Grog was rum, diluted to a quarter strength with water, and issued twice a day (at least it was in mid-Victorian times). Sailors were supposed to drink it as soon as it was issued, and it was very hard to get drunk on it at that dilution. However, if a sailor kept his grog back for several days or more, and then drank it all at once, drunkenness was possible. Perhaps that was Grandad's offence? It looks like he was caught before he had a chance to get blotto!

Barbara

[Del 80]

Hello Barbara, thanks for your reply, I suspect that he was a "bit of a lad", as he also got two seperate detentions for absence (AWOL presumably), this was in 1919. Thanks again, Regards Del.

[DorothySandra]

Rum was also hoarded as currency amongst the crew. So a man who wanted more than his ration could offer another man tobacco or clothing or the stuff he bought in the last port in exchange for a tot of rum.

[edwardtjones]

I was uin the Royal Navy in the 1950s when we still had rum, think it was stopped sometime about the 70s. You changed from a U/A underage at 20 to G if you wanted your rum. if you declined you became aT for temperance, bit of a fool if you did that as it was such a good bargaining tool. Ratings got 2 parts water and one part rum, petty officers and above got there issue neat. Every one in the mess who was a G rating took their turn to be Rum Bosun, you went a collected the rum ration for your messdeck and was responsible for the issue. It was tradition when you took your rum to spill some back into the Rum Fanny for the bosun of the day. If you had a lot of g men it meant the bosun had a large lot of rum left over. This is were the rum rats came in, these were the hardened drinkers who evry day would help the rum bosun of the day to consume what was left over.
I liked being bosun on a Saturday, i would save a couple of tots in my locker with a coaster over the glass then consume it before i went ashore(into town).

[Colin Rowledge]

The last issue of rum in the RN occurred on 31 July 1970 and that day became known as "Black tot Day".

I joined the Navy 4 months later so never got to taste "pussers" rum. The rum ration was replaced by a daily ration of 3 cans of beer, per man, per day for all Junior Ratings over 18. Senior ratings and officers were considered (foolishly) to be capable of restraint and were not similarly rationed.

Poor Graham!!! 3 strikes [cans] and you're out [cold] if it was strong beer.

[Ed Bradford]

I recall reading somewhere that aboard sailing ships grog was served because the water, sitting in the barrels, became tainted after being at sea for a while. Supposedly the rum would kill off the germs.

..................Ed

[joboy]

I was a Royal Marine aboard HMS Glory and on returning to UK in 1947 the ship 'crossed the line' (equator) on my 20th birthday.
I had my own 'tot' plus 'sippers' from all on the mess plus half of the sergeant's 'neaters' and suffered greatly ...so my messmates put me into a damage control area where planks and ropes etc were stored and where no one would know.
I think that I was 'out to it' for a couple of days having visits every few hours to make sure I was OK.
Different days !!
Joe

[Jim B]

This was the last day in the mess we had our "TOT" from that day ,the whole mess felt so different .
I was on board H.M.S SCYLLA , many of the faces ,i have forgotten there names,but i can still remember all those wicked runs ashore we had around the Mediterranean and the far east,{japan to Australia}.It is now 40 odd years since ,but my memoirs are as fresh as if it was yesterday
I am in the back row of the photo..

Jim

[Jim B]

It would be intresting to know ,what happend to all those "grog barrels" we used to mixe the rum and water together.?

There was one on every sea going ship,plus every shore base.