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A A
F O
I
n addition, by that time, Port had become
rmly established in British society as one of
the nest of all wines, surrounded by ritual
and a degree of reverence. A serving of Port
in the appalling, chaotic environment of the
trenches created the illusion, however eeting,
of civilization and normality.
is prevailing attitude to Port is exempli ed
by this extract, published in Letters from
the Home Front in the March 1918 issue of
Punch magazine:
“…the war has compelled many
changes…in the ordered tenor of
one’s life. In the circumstances I have
found it bene cial to take an extra glass
of Port. It stimulates optimism and
enlarges one’s outlook.”
It was probably for this reason that Port was
the beverage of choice for British o cers who
were able to purchase it from army messes and
canteens. As a matter of fact, the army canteens
were one of Taylor’s most important and regular
customers during the con ict.
e canteens were supplied by Taylor’s sole
agent at the time, Dent Urwick and Yeatman,
with correspondence between the two