Travelling Kitchens and Soup carts - wheeled cooking equipment

Welcome to the page for Travelling kitchens, and its story

The following is a work in progress. It is not a definitive guide, but is a researched starting point.

This shows that Travelling kitchen means a portable device for cooking on, in the same way that a Stove can be a portable, single burner - or a fixed home cooking range.

These two newspaper clippings below, from 1798, are two years after Count Rumford's suggestion of a soup cart. We see that a Parisian has designed a Travelling kitchen that can cook for 1200 men whilst on the move. It is mounted on a single car. To my mind, that makes it a soup cart, a cart for cooking or boiling food.

So we can cautiously presume that the Parisian's design mentioned in 1798, is a two wheel soup cart. Sadly, I have yet to find any evidence or reference to it anywhere, other than in the two English newspapers. So it can't be classed as the worlds first Soup cart or Travelling kitchen, until more evidence is found.

With regards to the military Travelling kitchen - There are three types of Travelling Kitchen. 

• One is a soup cart, a wheeled cooking apparatus that allows one type of food to be cooked or kept warm, and perhaps for water to be boiled at the same time whilst on the move, without the food spoiling - including for staff to be able to attend the food whilst on the move. 

• One is a collection of cooking equipment, usually on a trailer or latterly in an ISO container. When stationary it forms a kitchen, allowing for the cooking of various meals for hundreds of troops.

• One is a truck or trailer, into which cooking equipment has been installed, which allows people to attend to the food that is cooking whilst in transit, and can cook a range of different foods.

According to the 1940s book, La Chasseur François (The French Hunter), in 1743 a certain Beauvisage de Lavault, presented to the war commissioner, Dupré d'Aulnay the very ingenious plan of his traveling bakery

From http://perso.numericable.fr/cf40/articles/4041/4041126A.htm 

"During the campaigns of the reign of Louis XV, our French guards or other soldiers of the Beloved were followed by charming cooks, whose dresses seem to have been designed by Watteau. These pretty girls, canteen girls, vivandières, tossed around in a shabby cart, prepared Fanfan la Tulipe's dinner at the bivouac. The engravings and drawings of Watteau, le Paon, Parrocel, Casanova, show us these amiable children - the gallant Marshal of Saxony wanted only beauty prizes in his army - bustling around the pot singing on the fire. However, a brilliant precursor had invented a veritable rolling kitchen intended for the manufacture of ammunition bread - ancestor of our boule - in the open countryside; each traveling oven could cook two hundred rations. The creator of this bakery was a certain Beauvisage de Lavault who, in 1743, had presented to the war commissioner Dupré d'Aulnay the very ingenious plan of his system; he also recommended a hand mill. About twenty years later, M. de Lavault, ruined by women and in debt, was imprisoned; in the royal castle, he did not lack all the items that his suspicious fruit seller refused him."

Napoleon's mobile bakery of Waterloo

This mobile bakery is one of only two surviving units that Napoleon had follow him around the battlefield. The unit is at the RLC museum at Worthy Down.

It should be remembered that the French have always taken the cooking of food as the most serious of things to be undertaken.

More digging and research is required, but it appears that Prussia and Bavaria lead the way with cart mounted cooking equipment, and like so many things, then forgot the way. 

Reading various articles, books, and newspapers of the early 1800s, and an article in the British Medical Journal, it appears that the Soup cart, or Travelling kitchen was invented many times, and then dismissed and forgotten about.

Remember - MESS, a particular company (group) of the officers or soldiers, who eat, drink, and associate together. 

The issue is the location of the food in relation to the troops. The reason that Wellington approved the D shaped Mess tins of 1813 for every soldier, is because every Mess' camp kettles were on pack animals further back down the line. And it could be hours before the pack animals for that unit finally reached the troops.

Picture a line of 250 soldiers and their officers, marching 3 abreast towards the enemy. Now image the length of road that the company takes up, especially with stragglers and poor disciple after hours of marching on yet another day. Now put 3 more companies and their officers behind that. After the marching units comes the regimental wagons, pack transport and sutlers. Now consider the items poorly secured to the pack transport, items falling off enroute, and animals having their own issues on the march. And if the regiment is relying on Ox powered transport, then the wagons will be even further down the line. 

I've not studied military strategies, but it appears that whilst senior officer recognised and understood the importance of troops getting their hot food as quickly as possible at each stop, so that the troops can eat and then rest - that the order was given for each Travelling kitchen to be amongst the Regimental wagon train. Common sense says that the kitchen should be directly behind the company, and not behind the regiment. 

There is also the issue that because the food was still cooking whilst being transported, many cases of unpleasant burnt or bity soup being served to the troops. Hence the Soup carts being discarded and left behind. 

An interesting note in one manual is that the travelling kitchen is some 23 feet long, with officers being more keen to fill that 23 feet with soldiers, and not cooking equipment.

So time and time again, we see Travelling kitchens designed, and then assigned to the store and forgotten about.

Article extract

The following text is taken from
https://ar.culture.ru/ru/subject/pohodnaya-kuhnya-iz-oboza-velikoy-armii 

Until the 19th century, soldiers of all armies ate what they could take from the civilian population of the enemy, and sometimes even from their own state. At best, they received "dry rations" in the form of crackers or cereals, which they cooked themselves during halts. The great innovator of military affairs Napoleon Bonaparte was concerned with this side of the soldier's life; the first canned food was invented for his army. And on the eve of the campaign in Russia, he ordered 60 military field kitchens (2 wheel Kurowsky-Eichen type) and obliged Marshal Davout, commander of the First Army Corps, to test them in combat conditions.

The troops of the "Iron Marshal" covered the retreat of the Grand Army from Moscow, fighting off Cossacks and partisans in rearguard skirmishes. Along the way, all the supply trains were abandoned to their fate, including the field kitchens. One of them became a trophy for the Cossacks of Count V. V. Orlov-Denisov (1775-1843). It was captured in the Gzhatsk district of the Smolensk province.

The design of the field kitchen is simple and functional. A strong wooden frame with an iron firebox is installed on a single-axle, single-horse cart with large wheels. The copper boiler above it is attached to an independent suspension, due to which it always remains horizontal. Cooked food can be transported in it and fed to soldiers immediately after stopping for a rest. Firewood and sections of a folding table were transported in a box under the driver's seat in the front. If a horse is unharnessed from such a cart, it can turn over. To prevent such an accident, the shafts are equipped with additional stops that fix the kitchen in a horizontal position.

Now it became clear how the famous manoeuvrability of Napoleon's army was ensured in the harshest conditions. The brave guards, cavalrymen and grenadiers were always fed quickly and on time, without stopping on the march for the sake of self-supply. The soldiers were provided with hot food and fresh bread, which raised their combat readiness to an unprecedented height. But only 2,000 retreating troops crossed the Berezina in December 1812, many Frenchmen died not from bullets and sabres, but from hunger, having lost their kitchens.

End of article

1794 and 1798

Two British newspapers of 1794 mention a 4 wheel travelling kitchen, which can cook for 100 men. Then in 1798, more newspaper articles report of a 2 wheel (single car) cart that cooks for 1200 men.

Preliminary research shows that a Monsieur Valette of Paris was the inventor. Awaiting responses from French Archives.

1803 onwards

The Royal Swedish Society of Science academy released quarterly publications of New documents. In the fourth quarter of 1807 is an article by C. G. Sjöstén, entitled "Notes on Fireplaces, including Description of a Field Cooking Cart and a Field Baking Oven." In this article, he advises of three successive 2 wheel soup carts being made, from 1803 onwards.

German books and newspaper articles from the early 1800s show us that Bavarian, Anton Baumgartner built the first four wheel soup cart in 1805. 

Prussian, Friedrich von Kurowsky-Eichen, of Königsberg in Prussia (called Kaliningrad in Russia from 1946) designed a 2 wheel soup cart around 1810, whilst in Berlin. Kurowsky mentions of other Field Kitchens having previously been made in Munich (Baumgartner's 1805) and Königsberg in Prussia (not traced, but wonder if it's the Swedish one of 1803.

French chef, Alexie Soyer, living in England designed a soup cart that he took to Ireland in 1847 for the Potato famine. 

German, Theophil Weise, living in Czechoslovakia designed a Soup cart around 1850.

Alexie Soyer designed a Traveling kitchen for the British military in the late 1850s. 

And American, Moritz Pinner designed a "Portable furnace" with ovens, etc in 1863. And they had all been forgotten about by the Second Boer war.

In 1902 (republished 1905), Fritz Netzler published a book in Sweden, with his proposal for a 4 wheel cooking cart. He requested that the king fund this cart for assessment. I can't find any more on this proposal.

Anton Baumgartner's Suppenwagen - 1805.

Anton Baumgartner would have worked under Count Rumford - see "The Idea of cooking on the move" above.

Anton's "Suppenwagen" (Soup truck)  was a double boiler (cooking pot), with a chimney in each corner. The cooker was mounted on 4 wheels, and had chains to help the cooker stay upright on uneven ground.  The kitchen was built by coach manufacturer Johann Martin Roth, of Rosenthal, Bavaria.

There is what appears to be a reproduction example of Baumgartner's Soup cart at the Invalidendom, in Paris.

Article extract

150th anniversary of the ‘goulash cannon’

One of those inventions that is usually thought to belong to the very recent past is the field kitchen - quite commonly known as the ‘goulash cannon’.

This undoubtedly justifiably popular invention can now look back on an age of 150 years. According to ‘Neuheiten und Erfindungen’, Gümligen-Bern, it was invented in 1805 by the ‘Bayerischer Werklicher Rat’ Anton Baumgartner, who designed his ‘travelling kitchen wagon’ with the intention of ‘transporting edible food to places where it could not be transported by ordinary means’. His construction consisted of a ‘sealed oven with boiler, combustion chamber and draught chimney,

This first mobile kitchen, filled with water, had a weight of approximately 14,000 kg, making it a rather cumbersome piece of furniture to move. The first practical tests led to the ‘satisfactory result that the water reached boiling point in two hours’. This ancestor of all field kitchens was used for the first time on the occasion of a farm hunt organised in the winter of 1805; the farmers employed as beaters received hot food from it, which they accepted with both amazement and gratitude.

Napoleon who saw a demonstration of this "goulash cannon" was so impressed that he ordered them for his army.

End

Friedrich von Kurowsky-Eichen's Travelling kitchen - 1813

This drawing appears to be from an early version of Kurowsky's design. It only has one tube or chimney sticking up.

The example preserved in the Moscow museum has four tubes coming up from below, two at both ends. One of the images shows the carriage light on one of the tubes.

Alexis Soyer's Travelling kitchen - 1847

Alexis Soyer had his Soup cart made before going to Ireland. This cart inspired Alexis to think of a mobile kitchen for the army. The following image and text about this idea is from his 1854 book, A shilling cookery for the people.

The following Swinging stove, patented as An improved military or Camp kitchen, was patented in 1915

Kitchens, Travelling Number 1

(See plate 7) 

The travelling kitchen consists of two main parts, viz., the limber (or front part), the body (or back part). The Limber (Front Part) The limber is constructed with four compartments lined with a packing of asbestos; these can be hermetically sealed by closing the lids, which have a lining of the same material. These compartments contain four boilers, fitted with anti-splash plates and lids. When food at boiling point is placed therein it will remain hot for six or eight hours. Tea is usually quite hot after five hours; and ordinary stew will, as indicated above, retain a good heat considerably longer, but in all cases the weather must be taken into consideration. 

Frying Pans 

Four frying pans are carried, two on the " near" and two on the " off " side of the limber. These fit the openings over the fire in the body of the cooker. Each pan is provided with a cover, so that cooked food can be kept hot till served. Joints of suitable size can be baked in these pans. 

Compartments 

There are two compartments in the rear of the limber, " near " and " off. " In the " near " compartment cook’s implements should be stored, such as hand axe, holdall, with knives, etc., and in the " off " compartment the inventory board ; also any spare cook’s implements. 

Drawers 

The four drawers at the back part of the limber are to be used for the storage of sugar, tea, salt, and other condiments. 

Page 96

Lockers 

There are also two lockers under the rear of the limber, " near " and " off." In the " off " locker should be stored such accessories as spanners, washers, box of candles, lantern and holdall for small stores, and in the " near " compartment brake blocks, water brushes, canvas buckets and cordage. 

Rake 

A rake is supplied with each cooker and carried on the “ off ” side of the body. 

The Body (Back Part) 

Boilers 

The body has compartments for five boilers. Four boilers, each with anti-splash plate and lid, are used for the cooking of stews, puddings, soups, vegetables, tea, coffee, etc. There is also a boiler, fitted with a tap and an anti-splash plate and lid, for stock or boiling water, to make up the loss in cooking boilers due to evaporation. 

Fireplace 

The fireplace contains a "heat-regulator" and two  gratings," the correct adjustment of which should not be disregarded. The " heat-regulator " is moved by means of the rake to a " forward position " when heat is required in the direction of the rear boilers and pulled back over the entrance to the fireplace when forward heat is required, and placed in a central position for equal distribution of heat to all boilers. 

Gratings 

Both gratings should be fixed on the lower rests when wood fuel is used, and on the top rests if a steady coal fire is required, and when all pots are boiling push the bright embers forward and damp down to retain a steady heat. This kind of fire is also suitable for frying. When mixed fuel is in use it is usual to fix the back grating (farthest from the entrance to the fireplace) on the upper and the front grating on the lower rests. 

Dampers 

There are two dampers. These are used to regulate the draught and should remain open until the fuel has well burnt through and a clear fire remains.

Page 97

Dampers Down,— This is a common expression and means that the flues are partly or wholly closed when a small clear fire is burning, thereby retaining a good heat in the body of the cooker, and at the same time effecting a greater economy in the use of fuel than would be the case if the flues were kept free.

Chimney 

The chimney is retained in a vertical position by means of three bolts. It should be lowered to a horizontal position and supported by the rest when the cooker is not in use and when travelling over broken ground. The cowl of the chimney, when in use, can be adjusted to suit the prevailing wind. 

Soot Doors 

There are four soot doors, three at the front and one at the rear of the body. They should be opened for the purpose of removing soot deposits from the floor of the cooker.

Foot Rests 

The foot rests on either side of the cooker are for the cooks to stand on for the purposes of cleaning, also for making up, skimming and stirring the contents of the boilers. 

Carrying Poles 

The carrying pole is in two parts, each 5 ft. long, with two - hanging hooks. The two parts are connected by means of a socket and are to be used to remove the boilers, which should never be removed by hand.

Fuel Carriers 

Two fuel carriers are situated at the rear of the body. Each has a holding capacity of 14 cwt. of coal. The components, accessories, spare parts, equipment stores, etc., appertaining to a travelling kitchen are enumerated on A.F. G 1096-7. 

1930s

The spreadsheet below shows that at least 20 Kitchen trailers were made in the early 1930s.

British WW2 travelling kitchen

I believe the images below show an example of JA 7039, Cookers, Trailer, Hydra type - with one range as listed above on each side of the trailer.

Rutherford oil Burner kitchen trailer

The Rutherford Kitchen trailer was patented in 1934. More details in the patent, at https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/010380419/publication/GB411909A?q=pn%3DGB411909A 

This small sample from MERLIN shows some of the NSN, Asset codes and Contract numbers associated with cooking trailers of the British Army. 

It should be remembered that MERLIN computer program wasn't started until 1986, and back dated to anything that was in service in January 1984. So anything cast (disposed of) before 31st December 1983 does not appear in MERLIN

The Documents before AESPs included:-

• Army Code 40197 - Cooking Equipment Complete Equipment Schedule.

• Army Code 31224 - Complete Equipment Schedule. 

• Army Code 14510 

No. 4, Mk. 2 Gasoline & LPG trailer 7360-99-130-5642

Apparently, the LPG H burners were made by Arunfabs Ltd, who have ceased trading.

The vehicle below is a GMC ACKWX-353 6x6 truck, but it shows how some Mobile Kitchens were laid out, with a frame to hold the No. 1 burner and frames in place. 

There are two pages on this website, which has been written by a relative of Wiles. https://www.nashos.org.au/wiles.htm

The GB patent for this travelling kitchen is at https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DGB191501742A 

Robert's Travelling kitchen lost out to other makes, as the others were able to keep food warm, without spoiling,  until the troops were ready for the food. But the biggest issue was with the ones sold to Australia. The Australian Defence Department decided to save £10 per kitchen by using a fixed wagon, rather than a cart with separate limber. The cooker was mounted back to front on the 4 wheel cart. No only did this affect the draught on the fire, the rear wheel and brakes got in the way of accessing the two side ovens. Further, because of the lack of a limber, the whole cart with oven had to be used to fetch water or fuel. 

The UK patent of this stove is at

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search?q=pn%3DGB191302141A

From www.museedelagrandeguerre.com/collections/cuisine-roulante/

As early as 1905, the French army became interested in mobile kitchens already used in the German and British armies, and carried out tests.

A ministerial directive of 1912 confirmed its adoption for infantry and engineers.

However, at the very beginning of the Great War in August 1914, this type of equipment was virtually nonexistent: only about thirty units were in service with the armies. Communal meals were preferred. But the stabilization of the front accelerated the transition: 12,870 units were urgently ordered from French and foreign manufacturers during the winter of 1914-1915.

Numerous different models were put into service before a single standard model was adopted in 1917.

Other designs thought to be French

The invention is one more proof of the care and thought which are given in this war to any and every means by which the lot of the troops may be made as comfortable as the inevitably crude and hard conditions of war will permit. The arrival of this new portable kitchen is sure of a welcome from the men whose lot while on active service it wil help to mitigate (French War Office Official Photograph; supplied by Photopress.)

The German Field Kitchen - Goulash cannon 

We see that the German wheeled field kitchens are referred to as Hf. 11, 12, 13, and 14.

Heeresfahrzeuge is abbreviated to Hf. It translates as Army Vehicles 

To clarify, the Hf. Number was for all types of wagon, and is not just the next version of field kitchen. 

Hf. 1 - Light army field wagon 

Hf. 2 - Heavy army field wagon 

Hf. 3 - Small army field wagon 

Hf. 4 - Mountain troops wagon 

Hf. 6 - Field wagon 

Hf. 7 - Steel field wagon 

Hf. 11 – Large field kitchen 1908 into Prussian army – two, three or four horses – until 1945 – Production was replaced 1930s by the structurally improved large field kitchen Hf. 13. 

Hf. 12 – Small field kitchen 1916 - two horse – Production until 1939, when Hf. 14 produced. 

Hf. 13 – Large field kitchen Production from 1930s. 

Hf. 14 – Small field kitchen Production from 1930s - two horse – Used until 1945. 

Development 

The basis for the development of mobile field kitchens was the need to provide the growing number of combatants with high-quality, hot food immediately upon arrival at their destination or during combat. This was intended to increase the soldiers' performance and resilience. The first mobile field kitchens had already proven their worth during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 and 1905. 

In October 1905, the Prussian War Ministry issued a call for proposals for lightweight, single- horse field kitchens equipped with a 150-litre cooking kettle. A total of 40 proposals were submitted, but none met the required specifications. On August 1, 1906, a new call for proposals was issued, albeit with revised specifications. This yielded significantly better results, and the multi-horse-drawn models from the A. Senking Sparherdfabrik (a stove manufacturer) in Hildesheim and the CD Magirus fire brigade equipment factory in Ulm proved most convincing. From then on, the two companies collaborated and presented a first prototype in 1907. The following year, 1908, the first 50 field kitchens were delivered for troop trials. During the 1908 Kaiser Manoeuvres in Alsace, two brigades took on the task of testing the field kitchen. Extensive driving and cooking trials were conducted, resulting in the first mobile field kitchen in Germany. The new field kitchen was officially introduced by the general cabinet order of October 5, 1908. 

In the early 1930s, production of the large field kitchen, which had previously been discontinued, was resumed. However, a modified model was now used, which had been improved in close cooperation with industry and army departments. 

Development 

To protect the wheels of the rear wagon from glowing coals, they should be covered with earth or similar material. The left rear wheel, in particular, should be turned frequently during operation, as the coffee kettle was located in its immediate vicinity. This was intended to prevent the spokes from overheating. 

The front Limber wagon was to be used to retrieve food supplies upon reaching quarters, bivouacs, or the front lines. It also contained canned meat and vegetables, rusks, table salt, and other cooking ingredients. These were part of the emergency reserve, which could only be used in absolute emergencies or on special orders from the highest-ranking commander on site. The large field kitchen carried approximately 200 portions. The driver's seat of the large field kitchen, in addition to the strapped-on 20 kg sack of oats, provided space for the driver and the cook. In an emergency, there was also room for the kitchen sergeant. Only the driver was allowed to sit on the seat while the vehicle was in motion. The field kitchen personnel had to walk alongside the vehicle; they were only permitted to ride on it when the vehicle was moving at speed. 

The undercarriage of the front limber wagon supported a wooden box with six compartments. Compartment one contained 1 kg of coffee, 2.5 kg of salt, and 1 kg of tea in tins. Compartments two through four contained the 100 portions of the iron ration and supplies for shoeing horses. 

The cooking equipment with a food and coffee kettle was located here. Four compartments next to the coffee kettle contained coffee, tea, and salt in tins, as well as tools such as a claw axe, a coal shovel, and a meat chopper. 

Hf. 12 

Many modifications were made over its long period of use. For example, from 1926 onwards, the axles of the small field wagon (Hf. 3) were used. From 1931, the second, foldable drawbar was omitted, and from 1935 onwards, the army only accepted equipment from wartime production. 

Hf. 13 

The equipment of the large field kitchen (Hf. 13) now included six 12-litre food racks. Four of these were carried in the fold-down side rack at the rear of the front wagon body. From 1930 onward, a wooden storage area was provided on the roof of the front wagon body for these racks. The food kettle could now be made of stainless and enamelled sheet steel or aluminium, in addition to copper and nickel. The chimney was now also manufactured with a cylindrical shape. From 1938, the large field kitchens were equipped with a roasting and braising unit with a capacity of up to 70 litres. Meat, bacon, and other foodstuffs could be fried or boiled in it. This now also made it possible to prepare meals while marching. Whereas the meat board had previously had hinged rails, these were replaced by chains in the new version. The wheels were made of either iron or steel. 

Hf. 14 

Technical data 

The small field kitchen (Hf. 14) is fundamentally similar in design to the small field kitchen (Hf. 12). However, there were some changes. For example, the front section was now made of sheet steel instead of wood. The wooden or steel drawbar used was now the same as that of the light field wagon (Hf. 1), and the same singletrees as those used with the small field wagon (Hf. 3) were employed. This resulted in a standardization of materials and equipment, which simplified maintenance and replacement. Furthermore, the cooking kettle was now made of stainless and enamelled sheet steel or aluminium. The chimney now had a uniform, cylindrical shape. 

From 1938 onwards, the small field kitchens were equipped with a roasting and braising unit with a capacity of up to 50 litres. The meat board at the rear of the front carriage now had a chain mounting instead of screws, allowing for faster setup of the meat board and the field kitchen. The backpack holders were also eliminated; these were now carried on the units' supply or provisions wagons. The only remaining equipment consisted of two 12-litre tin cans, which were carried on a wooden platform on the lid of the front carriage. While the front carriage had no suspension, the rear carriage, with the field kitchen stove, had two longitudinal leaf springs. 

Production 

The production of the small field kitchen (Hf. 14) was significantly simplified compared to the small field kitchen (Hf. 12), which was also necessary due to the war. The materials used were mainly steel, iron, bronze, nickel, copper, wood, and waterproof canvas for the tarpaulin. In 1943, the production cost was stated as 2,500 Reichsmarks.

All of the above German section is sourced off Wikipedia, and sources listed therein.

This rare field kitchen was recovered from a house in Pellizzano ; it was used during the war (WW1) to cook for as many soldiers as possible.

It was jokingly nicknamed the "Goulash Cannon" because it could produce a large number of portions of food in a single burst to feed the soldiers.

The field kitchen was of fundamental importance to daily life, because it could be towed and moved wherever needed and, thanks to its five pots, had the capacity to feed around 250 soldiers.

Food and shelter from the cold were primary necessities. In situations where a large kitchen wasn't available, small wood-burning stoves —like the ones on display—were used, essential for survival at high altitude. They provided heat and allowed for meal preparation, and most importantly, they melted snow for water, which at those altitudes is never available due to the constant freezing temperatures.

The museum also has an area dedicated to kitchen utensils: various food containers , a ladle made from a small can sitting on a large pot, the first cans of preserved meat – dating back to 1916-1917 – opened as they could, some even with a bayonet; one of the first pressure cookers, used to facilitate cooking at high altitudes.

Among these stands out a small, square heater, very light and hinged on all sides so it can be easily transported, not made of cast iron but of light sheet metal and therefore certainly less effective in heating, but easier to transport and place anywhere.

https://www.museopejo.it/announcement/cucina-vivande-e-riscaldamento/

The field kitchen, commonly known as "rolling kitchen" "cucina su ruote", was conceived in two versions, based on the number of meals to be prepared:

n. 125 rations;

n. 200 rations.

This is a mobile vehicle assigned organically at Battalion/Company level which constitutes an indispensable and indispensable tool for supplying field units.

The kitchen unit is equipped with a rubber axle and a hitch eye (commonly referred to as a "trailer") that can be easily towed by a light truck.

The heat required to prepare the meals is generated by a diesel-powered burner located at the bottom of the kitchen.

MAIN FEATURES AND PERFORMANCES

Burner: automatic with electric ignition and diesel operation; power: 40,000-65,000 cal./h applied to the kitchen; absorbed power 130 Watt.
Generator: power: 1,500 W;
power supply: petrol;
voltage: 220 V;
tank capacity: approx. 8 lt;
consumption: 550 g/kWh;
autonomy: 10 h;
dimensions: mm (630 x 370 x 485);

Iron platforms:

Composition: 2 folding iron elements for each side platform and for the rear platform, connected to each other with a non-slip support base, equipped with height-adjustable and retractable feet.
Dimensions: - side platform element: mm (1,200 x 610);
- rear platform element: mm (975 x 650).
Total weight: approx. 3110 kg.

In 1937, Dinky released a number of military sets. These were based on the modern mechanised army of the 1930s. A number of these sets were called the Royal Tank Corps Medium Tank set, and incorporated a water bowser and Cooker trailer.

If you have any photos or documents of British Army Cooking trailers from the 1930s and WW2, please drop me a line.

And the actual trailer.