The British Army in 1854 - Part 1
The average air space per soldier in generally poorly-ventilated barracks was 400 cubic feet, compared with 1000 cubic feet for convicts in civil prisons. Daily rations of one pound of bread and threequarters of a pound of meat, including bone, offal and fat, were inadequate for active young men. Even basic principles of hygiene were unknown - it was a common practice for the urinal tub placed overnight in barrack rooms to be used for communal ablutions in the morning. Uniform cloth was too thin to keep out winter cold. The percentage mortality rate for the Army in barracks was double that of all civilians of comparable age.
Viewed from the year 2000, it seems little short of a miracle that the Army had been able to achieve and generally sustain such an impressive record in combat.
Sources
Sir Llewellyn Woodward (1962) Oxford History of England Vol 13 The Clarendon Press
Byron Farwell (1981) For Queen and Country Allen Lane
John Duncan & John Walton (1991) Heroes for Victoria Spellmount Ltd
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