Many people believed that giving the daily 'rum ration' to servicemen affected their abilities to perform as dignified and effective 'British Soldiers.'

Protests and petitions against the issue of the rum ration were common place during WWI, and many soldiers reacted with disgust and incredulity against the 'soft' civilians who did not realise just how vital alcohol was to the mental state of front line Tommies. "Without their daily drink, they would go spare" wrote one soldier.