The British Always Stopped for Tea. A WWII Myths show
With Paul Woodadge
Part of our WWII Myths series of short shows
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDG3XyxGI5lAd734s1i7YIMbOf8PS5Shz&si=lZONvxOH4APbWnDZ
You’ve probably heard, seen or read that the British Army were forever stopping for a cup of tea in the Second World War. We examine the claim and the actual consumption of tea by the Army.
This is a new type of show for the channel. Our historian will examine a popular claim made about the Second World War and either confirm or debunk it. There probably won’t be time for questions from viewers but we hope the shorter length will be popular.
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Never had tea with the Brits in Iraq but did have a pint and a BK Whopper with them lol
The British gave the world the Magna Carta and the Beatles. The Chinese gave the world tea.
Brewing up tea was safer than drinking the water.
Of course the British stopped for tea…….They even used to pop over to borrow sugar from the Germans.
All I can tell you is that when I served in Aden as a cook to an infantry Re'gt, more than once I saw, and felt myself, the magical effects of strong tea with tin'd milk highly sweetened and working wonders when Up Country. When we were static, we always had a large dixey of hot tea, and hotter the better- it was real tea then too.
I am no expert , but i wonder did the various tanks and bren gun carriers have a hot water container/flask system ,internal/external or troops carry a flask of hot water. In the modern era one may carry a flask of hot water for a picnic. Excellent myth busting and truth.
It was very practical thing to do during any pause and still is to have a fag a 10:ll brew and check your kit , left over hot water was used to clean the corrosive salts out of weapon barrels ( from cordite ).
I grew up in the fifties in the US. Though the British soldiers were renowned for drinking tea neither I nor anyone I knew believed that during WW2 having tea would have at anytime delayed a critical action, Nijmegen or otherwise. Perhaps that myth is a myth?
My grandfather who was in the North African campaign, and served alongside Indian troops, said they drank sweet milky tea, infused with either cloves or cardamom.
I lived in Hong Kong in the 90s and the even the local Chinese were very big on having "Afternoon Tea", which was any kind of drink with small snacks or sandwiches at 4pm. EVERY office followed this ritual.
The biggest tea related disaster I came across was Wittmann's destruction of the British Army column at Villiers Bocage. History books say the men stopped for tea outside the town while in column and were mowed down by the Tiger tank.
Wonderful episode Paul! I’ve always disliked that scene in A Bridge Too Far and felt it’s gone on to encourage myths of the British Army not wanting to engage with the enemy.
Interesting to note about the chocolate too and how that went more to milk chocolate as the war progressed!
Yep , caus Tea is the correct term, Breakfast, Dinner then Tea. You don't have Lunch Ladies you have Dinner Ladies 🙂
Good presentation Woody. Good you raised up importance of understanding the language "slang" used when you hear report. When an American is saying they're having tea, is it a quick cup or is it a meal or both. And what units are they witnessing having a brew and when and where. The context is what matters. A soldier will need food and water at some stage to keep going. They're certainly not going to do in eyesight of the enemy or in an attack. Which is the inference you get. Bradley in his memoirs gets a report from a commander that the British are stopping for tea. He says, if they're sitting down, you sit down as well. I think he understood this tradition and wasn't be pejorative. There was plenty of time to fight and win as you made clear. Leave the fanaticism to the enemy.
Its still a part of British Army soldier lore and its there for a good reason , keeping hydrated is vital and you never know when your next opportunity will be, in cold climates a hot drink is a moral booster. Its not a quaint custom it actaully battle winning soldering skills.
Brits have been drinking salty tea over 1 scene from a movie; salty from the tears dropping into their teacups.
(I’m jesting, don’t take it seriously. The shows and channel are great)
Depending on the source of your water supply, you're going to have to boil the water anyway to kill microbes and parasites. Might as well make it enjoyable and take time to plan your next move.
Thanks Woody. The explicit clarification of language of tea being the evening meal.
In Germany in 1966/67 I and a couple of other British soldiers were attached to a US Armoured Cavalry unit. At breakfast, happily drinking US supplied coffee we we're approached by the catering oic who apologised for not laying on a run of tea for us. He gave us a number of large bags of tea bags. They lasted us for months
There is an amazing scene in one of those ww2 American Gi acclimatization video's about what to expect in Britain, the Gi goes to a train station and asks a conduction when the next train to such and such is coming, he says its a short wait. then asks the Gi if if he's cold and then 'have a cup of tea' and immediately produces a fully made cup of tea from out of nowhere. it's so good.
The tea break is sometimes a magical thing. If you're stuck on a problem you're trying to figure out, have a tea break, 5-10 minutes of calm relaxed thinking about it away from the problem location will sometimes give you that moment of insight into the problem you've been lacking.
Most important point about that scene in A Bridge Too Far after the capture of the Nijmegen highway bridge, was that it was filmed in broad daylight, but was actually after dark, and Captain Peter Carrington in command of the Grenadier Guards operation to assault the highway bridge denied the confrontation even took place. The bridge was crossed by Sergeant Peter Robinson's Troop of tanks at 1830 hrs on 20 September, 'H' and 'I' Companies 504th PIR reached the far end of the highway bridge at 1915 hrs, and the 504th secured their planned stop line between Fort Hof van Holland and Fort Het Laauwik to consolidate the bridgehead at 2000 hrs, by which time it was fully dark. Long after the usual 'teatime'!
Milk first or second, now thats he question 😂
There is a photo from ww2 in the north African desert of two men who have stopped for tea. And painted on the door of their truck is a tea pot with the words, If in doubt brew up. I know how they felt i served three years and five months in lybya.
The Americans always used to be a bit bewildered about the British tanks being fitted with a boiler to supply them with hot water for a brew. But this facility also provides you with thefacility to have hot food. Both of these being essential for the crews well-being, hot food and a hot drink. The following is a true story, as WW2 was coming to an end and things were chaotic a German Paratrooper who was on the run from the Russians and the Americans, both of whom had held him prisoner, but he had escaped. The soldier came through some bushes and was confronted by a group of British soldiers making a cup of tea. One off the soldiers shouted to him “want a cup a tea Fritz”. He decided that he wanted to be with these guys. The name of the German paratrooper was Burt Troutman, he famously became a goalkeeper for Man City and played in a FA Cup Final with a broken neck. When you are in a shitty situation/environment there is nothing like a a brew and a fag – QUALITY
This'll be the same army that put a Boiling Vessel inside the tank so they DIDN'T have to stop for tea…
Most soldiers do three things when ever they have a chance. 1 brew up, 2 light a ciggy, 3 inspect a tree from eye level. normal!!!
Speaking of tea, I was always taught that the main reason for the Boston Tea Party was General George Washington knew that if we dumped all the tea in the harbor the tyranny-loving, tea-slurping British soldiers would have to leave. I did not go to a very good school.
NAFI has gone private suppliers nowadays everybody in any and every situation has a break when they can irrespective coffee has not replaced tea
The comment about British troops drinking tea on D Day at 13.06 sounds very much like that quoted by Anthony Beevor as supposedly coming from an American officer who came ashore on a British beach. Even if true it is meaningless without some background context to explain who the soldiers seen brewing up were. If the US officer knew for a fact they were frontline infantry who should have been advancing inland there might be some value to his criticism but if they were Royal Naval Beach Commandos, Beach Group soldiers, Military Police, AA gunners, Pioneer Corps or any of the hundreds of men whose role was to remain on the beach then it was just the same tired old myth at work.
Boiling water to make tea probably saved many lives.
The tea drinking thing is similar to the old soldiers adage of grab a nap when ever you can because you never know when you will get another chance, if you have to stop and you have time, grab a cuppa because it may be your last, also the the reason the British were more cautious stemmed from how long they had been fighting, even new recruits were war weary, fighting alone with large losses in men and equipment takes its toll
Considering how sleep deprived your average soldier is, you need tea or coffee just to be functional.
When I visited the Pegasus Bridge Memorial one of the guys working there told a story about the raid and mentioned that one of the pilots noticed that the soldiers in his glider sat togheter on the floor in a bunch and had started to make tea, probably on one of thees smaller stowes you showed in this program. He also mentioned that the pilot went bananas when he saw what was going on! If someone had kicked the stow over the glider could have caught fire!
I think the Tea Incident depicted in A Bridge Too Far was actually where the British tanks had to stop their advance to await the lorries from the B Echelon so they could refuel.
Whilst waiting for the B Echelon they did the natural thing of brewing up and, when the Americans commented on this, they played up the idea of a tea-stop rather than it actually being a refueling stop!
When my dad got to a dressing station after he was wounded a fag was put in his mouth, morphine in his arm and a cup of tea in his hand. You don't get that in A&E nowadays
I think it was Robert Redford in A Bridge Too Far who was dismayed by the Brits drinking tea.
My uncle fought in WW2 he and his mate who he went through the war with including Anzio landings and the push through Italy volunteered to carry the Bren gun because it came with a tarp cover that meant he and his mate could brew up under it whereas others could not as smoke and fire could be seen and targeted
Brilliant Paul! I’m loving the myth busting series. Great stuff!
I remember my Dad telling me a story from one of his older work colleagues who'd fought in Normandy and said that once they'd dug in somewhere. Everyone would have their stoves out and brewing up mugs of Rosy and little tell tale wisps of smoke coming up from the British positions. It would be amusing to confuse our American friends and say that the Tommies would always stop for high tea with table cloths, best bone china cups with saucers tea pot and enjoy the several cups with cucumber or cress sandwiches.
Tea, coffee or any hot drink is definitely essential to Armies in the field. Especially when it's a bit nippy.