These are just some examples of images I’ve collected over the years, as it pertains to field messes and Army cooking and eating.
US Army Cooking Pot – size and type unknown
Paring Knife
Potato Peeler
Ladel, 2 Prong Fork, Spatula, Spoon, Slotted Spoon Kitchen Utensils
Camp Kitchen Postcard – I don’t have a date on this, but it looks like maybe 1920s-1930s, and they’re cutting up part of an animal.
Mess Tent – This is a fantasy piece I cobbled together after drawing inspiration from period photos. I purchased a large olive drab canvas tarp that had grommets all around it. I think the grommets were brass, and I may have painted them black (though I’m unsure if that’s even period correct).
I bought some 2x4x6 or 2x4x8 (I don’t recall the height) and created the poles. Or maybe I bought eight 2x4x8s and cut six of them down to be 6 feet high to act as the edge poles, and two to be 8 feet high to act as supports for the ridge pole.
I then drilled a small hole in the center of each edge pole and screwed in an eyelet, which then went through the grommets. I used Manila rope and two stakes per pole to secure it to the ground. The stakes were the Vietnam era orange ones, but for WW2, they should’ve been large wooden circus-type stakes.
Now, the ridge pole itself, I’m unclear how I made it. If I were to make it today, I’d probably figure out a way to lag bolt the ridgepole to the 2x4x8 pole. I’d also make the ridge pole collapsible. If I were using 2x4s as the ridge pole, I’d cut the pole in half and use lag bolts to attach adjoining pieces of wood to each half.
