french canteens/water and wine?!

Factual Questions
1

I was having a discussion with my, normally brilliant, father about army canteens of all things when he brings up this “fact” that in the two world wars and possibly up to the korean war french canteens had two compartments and two spouts. One for water and another for wine. He claims that he has heard this ever since he was a child in the 30’s clear up to when he was in the service during the Korean war. As you might imagine this triggered my skeptical meter. I tried doing web searches and found no reference to wine but DID find that french canteens in the french foreign legion and during WWI did have 2 spouts.

example: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2187827073&category=13964

Anybody else ever hear this story? Nothing more then provable concrete fact will change his mind… if even that. :slight_smile:

2

The canteen in your linked images doesn’t look as if it has two compartments. It looks as if the second spount (on the right) actually serves a purpose other than drinking from. I don’t know what that porpose might be, but if it were for drinking, I think it would more like the spout on the left.

Or could it be that the spout on the right really is for drinking and the opening on the left is only opened to fill the canteen when it empties?

So… I guess what I’m saying is… I know nothing. :confused:

3

I don’t know about double-spouted canteens, but the French army did get a wine ration. It’s mentioned in this diary record from WWI.

4

And the British soldiers were issued with a rum ration before they went " over the top".

5

alright… good info so far! Thank you!

any other thoughts or c(s)ites??

6

alright… good info so far! Thank you!

any other thoughts or c(s)ites??

7

alright… good info so far! Thank you!

any other thoughts or c(s)ites??

8

The French canteen has a larger sout for filling and a smaller spout for drinking. It only has one compartment inside for water. It could be used by several drinkers who could drink without touching the spout with their lips, just pour the water into their mouths like a fountain. There are plenty of traditional containers which have a large orifice for filling and a small one for drinking. Examples Another one
http://perso.wanadoo.es/mmviceira/lidia11.jpg
http://www.readysoft.es/home/lorcaweb/news/13.jpg

9

Isn’t one of those spouts like the small spout in a jerry can (those red portable gas containers)? My WAG is that the smaller spout would be used to let air in to ensure a steady flow. I don’t know why they’d have it.

10

The U.S. Navy still gives out a beer ration.

You really don’t want to get it, though. 2 cans of beer are issued to each sailor after they’ve been at sea for 45 mind-numbing days.

11

I don’t know about the canteen but I clearly remember seeing some surplus French Army wine containers for sale, I believe in the U.S. Cavalry catalogue. If I recall they were metal, looked very similar to a gasoline can but had ceramic liners and were used to store the previously mentioned wine ration.