"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
I have the same photo with the same information. I've tried to match it up with photos of Austrian, British, Canadian, German and American WW1 field kitchens. I suspect that it may be a WW2 German field kitchen as, contrary to the image of a mechanised force, the German army was still very dependant on horse drawn equipment for non combat services at that time.
I think you must be right, Cent. Whoever found it probably associated wooden wheels with WWI, but plenty of pics show WWII German field kitchens with wooden wheels. I haven't found one that matches the pic exactly.
During a bout of googling, came across this pic of a German field kitchen M1909, a new one on me. Also a pic of a French version.
Also, I should like to spring belatedly to the defence of the magnificent boiler presented to the Belgian Army by the people of Manchester as depicted in my avatar. I earlier bowed to Centurion's view that it was not a field kitchen as such, but googling gulaschkanone brought up this picture of the modern equivalent. It seems it was a sort of giant, mobile soup tureen. In fact I came across a pic of some WWI troops gathered round a very similar apparatus, but I can't remember where now. I think that solid (or semi-solid) food was prepared in the more familiar, multi-compartment field kitchen, but soup could be dispensed from the simpler version.
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
Hi James, I would say your right about the avatar pic bieng a soup/ stew cooker these things are pretty common I had a similar thing in my cellar that was used for boiling linen, I gave it to a neighbour who I believe uses it for cooking as theres had finally worn out..Their typical small farmers here and produce much of there own food, the house was built in 1927... although obviously it was'nt meant to be moved a couple of strong men could pick it up...could you post a bigger picture I didnt realise it was for the Belgian Army, I actually thought it was a german cooker...
Here we are, Ivor. I think the inscription is legible.
I don't know why this has never occured to me before, but there are archives at the Manchester Evening News and local newspaper microfilm in the Central Library (with which latter Centurion is familiar) where there might be some reference to the donation of this contrivance. There might also be some mention of the Legion of Frontiersmen and their departure for the Front. I offered to collaborate with the Regional History Unit at Manchester Met Uni about the latter, but they were very precious about it. I'm just an amateur, you see.
Who knows - the soup dispensed from that vessel might have given some brave little Belgians the strength to delay the Germans for a few vital hours, gaining time for the Entente, weakening the right wing, confounding the Schlieffen Plan, and changing the course of European history. One never knows. And all thanks to a few gallons of leek and potato. Or possibly mulligatawney.
"Sometimes things that are not true are included in Wikipedia. While at first glance that may appear like a very great problem for Wikipedia, in reality is it not. In fact, it's a good thing." - Wikipedia.
The first pic is indeed a KuK feild kitchen. I have a file on it somewhere, but am relatively sure it was a contract item with a German manufacturer. The second from last pic from Robert is, of course, the standard German corp level field bakery.
... well, I seem to be unable to use photo bucket this evening for some reason so I can't post pics of the 4 types of field kitchens used by the central powers. Basically, they were ..
Model 1911 - Distingished by two liquid bays; one on either side of the vat. Model 1912 - A single liguid bay to the left of the cooking vat. Model 1917 - The lightest version with a small vat and liquid bay in front. Model 1909 - Skoda designed light vehicle with two small vats side by side.
The Model 1917 was intended for mountain use, and also supplied to the KuK. Both the M.17 and M.09 had vats small enough that they could be removed from the vehicle and carried by two men.
As further information, the concept of a light, mobile field kitchen capable of cooking food while on the march was pioneered by the firm of Fissler, Idor-Oberstein, located in Rheinland-Pfalz. They sold abroad, and by the first decade of the new century their inovative field kitchen design was widely copied by all major powers.
