Boer War Biscuit, 1899-1902
A framed biscuit from the Boer War, also known as the Second Boer War, a conflict between the British Empire and the Boer Republics between 1899 and 1902 over Britain’s influence in Southern Africa.
On one side of the biscuit it is inscribed “My Christmas Dinners” with the coat of arms of the Royal Berkshire Regiment (Princess Charlotte of Wales’s), an infantry unit formed in 1881. They fought throughout the Boer War in the Cape Colony and the Orange Free State. On the other side of the biscuit it is inscribed with the date and location.
Hardtack biscuits, like this one, were a staple part of the daily ration for the soldiers and were also included in emergency tins to sustain soldiers for up to thirty-six hours on the field. A typical emergency ration tin often consisted of a meat ‘dinner’ or bully beef, a variety of meat made from finely minced corned beef in a small amount of gelatin. The biscuits were made of thirteen parts flour to one-part water and slowly dried while baked. This ensured they could be transported with little breakage and less likely to be attacked from pests.
These biscuits were notoriously hard, sometimes requiring soldiers to soak them in tea or water to make them edible and not break their teeth. They were so hard that, as well as being hated and a common source of complaint, they were also used as postcards, often with amusing writings and jokes to make light of the biscuit’s poor quality.
Using ink, many soldiers would scratch messages on the biscuits and post them home as souvenirs from the war. The biscuits became an object of patriotic pride and a physical reminder of the war, collected by those back home. Many of the biscuits, similar to this one, were framed to preserve them.
