Rum was part of the trench life. A ration of thick dark rum was given every morning to soldiers and another ration was given before going to battle. The ration distribution needed to be in the presence of an officer to avoid abuse. During this difficult time, rum was used to help soldiers cope with stress and was regarded more as medicine.
Rum was delivered to the front lines in ceramic jars like this one. While the S.R.D. probably stands for ”Supply Reserve Depot”, many soldiers joked about these initials were for: ”Soon Runs Dry”, ”Soldiers Run Dry” or ”Seldom Reaches Destination”
Today, the official regimental drink of The Royal Montreal Regiment is still dark rum in remembrance of the ration given to the infantry during World War I.