The WWII LIFE RAFT RATION, A story with a lot of "Charms"

[rambob]

Back when I was a kid, in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, my family would go to visit my Grandparents quite regularly. I was one of four kids and it became a tradition that when we went to visit, we would always ask Grampa for some candy or “Charms” as we called it. He would disappear downstairs into the basement and come back up with a little, square can, which he would carefully open with the key on the bottom. After he removed the vitamin tablets, to protect us, we would dig in and pig out on the candy and gum in this little can. The candy and gum were a little stale, but we enjoyed them never the less. We went through this tradition probably 50 times over my childhood and never knew where he kept this stash of “magic” candy cans or what they really were.

In reality somewhere in the time after WWII, my Grampa must have purchased one or more master crates of what are known as Life Raft Rations. Inside was a supply of packages of charms, hard candies, gum and vitamin tablets. Knowing my Grandfather, he would not have paid very much for these rations. After college when I started collecting militaria, I found out that these rations were from WWII and had some value, but of course I never saved one from my childhood. I had always been looking for one of these and finally about 10 years ago, I found this one sitting lonely on a table at a gun show. However, it is a bit too valuable for me to open and quench my childhood cravings for Charms. I thought you all might enjoy this story from my youth.

[GasMasksUK]

Nice little story and item amazing to think how long one of these could last one man though.......

Thanks for sharing

Danny

[Adrian Stevenson]

A great story and a super item. Thanks for sharing it.

Cheers, Ade.