having no luck in identifying these boxes on the roof of this NZ QUAD TRACTOR http://homepages.win.co.nz/bphprint/nzpics/ourtruck.jpg

They look similar to the boxes on the front mudguards, could they be ration boxes? Certainly not ammo or POW cans so that's my best guess.

Dave is right as I too think they are supply boxes of some sort

they are compo ration boxes.. Each box held enough food for 14 men for 24hrs.HTH
Bryan

Just wondering what those rations would be?
Were they as well prepared, and of the finest cuisine, as ours? :-) :-) :-) :-)

The Compo ration was a crate containing food for 14 men for one day.

It had to be delivered as soon as the 24-hour ration, if this was supplied, had been consumed. To make for some variety, seven basic menus were distributed in crates labeled A to G, one for every day of the week.

The different precooked meals could be heated on either the collective petrol gas stoves or the soldiers’ personal cookers.

As the Compo ration was chiefly made of preserved food, its use had to be kept to a minimum. The Field Service ration was to be supplied as often as possible.

In addition to the A to G Compo crates, there was another set of crates of the same size, numbered 1 to 3, without biscuits, and which were to be accompanied with fresh bread.

Armoured vehicle crews could occasionally take along a special ration, whose composition varied according to the number of men per vehicle (Armoured Fighting Vehicle Ration Pack.)

Examples of the basic meals contained in the various crates:

* stewed lamb
* pork and vegetables
* oxtail and beans
* beef and kidney with gravy
* steak and vegetables
* salmon

Example of a type "D" Compo ration

(The number of cans of each item is given in parentheses, followed by the weight per can in oz.)

* Cooked meat and vegetables (10) 16oz
* Bacon (3) 16oz
* Sardines (8) 31/4oz
* Concentrated soup (2) 30oz
* Cigarettes (box of 50)
* Margarine (1) 16oz
* Vitamin enriched chocolate (14 bars) and sweets (2 cans) 2oz
* Sweets and matches (1 packet)
* Salt (bags)
* Tea, sugar, and powdered milk (3 cans) 15oz.
* Preserved vegetables (1 10oz can, 2 18oz cans)
* Biscuits (1 tin) 7 1/2 lb.
* Pudding (1 14oz can, 2 28oz cans)
* Soap (1 packet)
* Toilet paper (84 sheets)

Bryan

You're a wealth of information......maybe too much

just kidding...it's nice to have a resource like you

Thanks Bryan.... Interesting.

thanks mate. I found the information you provided excellent. So thank you for shareing

I know when I hauled a lot of stuff down for that Andrew hurricane, they give me a couple cases of MRE's they got spaghetti and meat, ham steak, I can't remember what all else, but a bunch of different things, then they had group meals, where like 10 to 12 people eat from one pan.

The one I liked was the peach cobbler, it was for 10 to 12 people,and tasted better then you could get in the restaurants, either that or they kept me starved all day, before they let me eat, cause you had to eat with them, or starve, cause everything was gone from the storm.

Now it was sealed, and they just threw it in a big barrel of boiling water, with a bunch of other trays like it. Then pull them out, and feed a bunch of people at once.

Like one tray would have cobbler, then another would have the main dish in it, then another would have the veggies, but these were big trays all water tight, not like the MRE's that were for the individual.

Kerry