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In-Box Review
135
Rum Jars and Crates
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by: Alan McNeilly [ ALANL ]

Introduction

Stone jars for storage have been around for a long, long time. Humans have been using a wide variety of stone and earthenware jars for 1000’s of years. This was no less the case during WWI when the British Army used 1 gallon stone (clay) jars for rum storage. The jars had a natural glazed stoneware appearance but the top shoulder and upper part were glazed a light brownish/yellow. When used by the military for the storage of rum they were marked with the letters SRD in black which stood for ‘Service Rum Dilute’ or better know to the troops as Seldom Reaches Destination!!

The jars were also used to store other liquids such as lime juice and other liquids, and hundreds of thousands of these jars were produced. They can still be found today in antique shops and homes around the country. Apparently 3577 rum jars were destroyed when the British evacuated Gallipoli in 1915. Now, Resicast have brought us a very useful set of diorama accessories in the form of Rum Jars and Crates.


The Set

The set comes in the standard Resicast zip bag with a paper insert showing a good picture of the jars and crates to aid painting along with the manufacturers details on the lower front. Inside are two further zip bags, one containing the Rum Jars and another containing the crates. Cast in a light grey resin the parts appeared free from any air bubbles or damage.

Rum Jars:
You get 20 rum jars in 5 sets of 4 jars each. Eight of the rum jars have open tops, whilst the other 16 have the stoppers still in, so a bit of a party going on somewhere!!! The jars look very well cast and have the correct shape, they only need to be removed from the casting plug and perhaps the open jars drilled with a slightly deeper opening.

Crates:
To accompany the jars you get 9 crates. 5 of the crates are closed and the other 4 are shown open. Of the open four crates, two contain the tops of 2 rum jars (2 per crate) and two of the crates have 1 jar each remaining. The crates are nicely detailed with wood grain, and the 5 closed crates have the packing straps in evidence. The 4 open crates show packing (most probably straw) around the jars and in the empty space where appropriate, and also show the broken open packing straps. No lids are provided for the four open crates but these would be an easy thing to make if you wanted to show them.

Conclusion

This is a very handy and fun set of accessories and although I have related the rum jar to the British and Commonwealth troops during WWI, I would imagine that you could use these just about anywhere from the late 1800’s onwards depending on your needs. So whether sitting in a Chemists shop, or the local watering hole, I would imagine you could find these types of jars all over the place.

Information about the ‘rum tot’ in WWII seems patchy, but whether ‘official’ or ‘unofficial’ I am sure the practice was carried out at unit level, particularly within infantry units, but I would be delighted for any more information on that.

The casting is excellent and the set should require only a sharp razor saw to remove the plugs from the crates and you have a nice unusual set of items for your dioramas. Normal precautions apply when working with resin.
My thanks to Resicast for the review sample.
SUMMARY
Highs: A fun set of some unusual items, well cast with excellent detail.
Lows: None that I can think of.
Verdict: Highly recommended.
Percentage Rating
88%
  Scale: 1:35
  Mfg. ID: 35.2324
  Suggested Retail: €10.00
  PUBLISHED: Nov 07, 2009
  NATIONALITY: United Kingdom
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 88.73%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 90.29%

About Alan McNeilly (AlanL)
FROM: ENGLAND - EAST ANGLIA, UNITED KINGDOM

Greying slightly, but young at heart. I've been teaching adults off and on for most of my life. Left the services in 85 and first started modelling in about 87 for a few years. Then I had a long spell when I didn't build anything (too busy) and really just got started again during the summer of ...

Copyright ©2021 text by Alan McNeilly [ ALANL ]. All rights reserved.



Comments

'Wot, no one for a shot of rum'? Al
NOV 12, 2009 - 10:18 AM
Good review Alan and definitely usable as Civilian Jars. Rum issue was always something I associated with WW1 but heres a couple of photos from IWM showing rum being issued in WW2. Men of the 1st Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment enjoy a tot of rum in a section of trench named 'Pudding Lane', 4th Division near Roubaix, 3 April 1940. While a piper plays, a special rum ration is issued to men of the 2nd Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers to mark St Patrick's Day in the Anzio bridgehead, 17 March 1944.
NOV 13, 2009 - 01:28 AM
Hi Pat, Good find on the pics. Every thing I looked at indicated that there was never an 'offical' tot for the Army or RAF even though the practice was wide speard. There was an Offical one for the Navy though, which ended in 1972. Thanks Al 'hick'
NOV 13, 2009 - 04:59 AM
I was so glad to stumble on this review, as this is exactly what I need for two projects currently on the WB. Kudos to Resicast for this product and to Alan for such an informative review. As soon as I read the review, I ordered the set and it arrived today and boy am I pleased.
MAY 05, 2010 - 10:40 AM
Hi Matthew, Glad you enjoyed the review and the kit. They are a fun item and very handy accessories. Al
MAY 06, 2010 - 12:19 AM
Hmm, would make a nice combo with the MB "Scotland the Brave" set
MAY 07, 2010 - 08:55 PM
   
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