It’s always time for tea!
It seems the British have an almost unquenchable thirst for tea, so much so that it is considered Britain’s “national drink” and an answer to almost everything.
Montgomery was a life-long teetotaller, no pun intended, and would have enjoyed a mug of tea as recreated by
this re-enactor supported by Bradley and Churchill look-a-likes.
Over the years that I have been working with re-enactors, especially those groups depicting British units in both world wars, I have noticed a common, indeed recurring, theme which has become more obvious since thinking about it. That is the presence of the hot beverage tea as a revitalizing drink and as a morale lifter. I’m reminded of the scene in the 1977 movie “A Bridge too Far" when the character of Major-General Robert “Roy” Urquhart, played by Sean Connery, is offered a mug of tea by his orderly, who also serves as his driver. He recaps all the disasters that have befallen him since landing in Holland and asks if a mug of tea could help. In response, the orderly replies it couldn’t do any harm.
It seems the British have an almost unquenchable thirst for the drink, so much so that it is considered Britain’s “national drink” and an answer to almost everything. I discovered this for myself during my service in the Army when, after being up all night on duty, a mug of hot tea did refresh and reach the parts other drinks could not reach. It was something that I grew accustomed to because everybody drank the stuff.
Songs have even been written about it, such as the British-sounding song “Everything Stops for Tea”. Actually, it was composed by an American, Maurice Sigler, born in New York. Lyrics were by fellow New Yorkers Al Goodheart and Russian-born Al Hoffman. It was a jolly tune and in Britain quickly became almost as popular as the drink itself. The song was first performed in 1935 by British actor Jack Buchanan in the musical “Come Out of the Pantry”. Five years later, in 1940, when the country was importing 200,000 long tons of tea annually, the British Ministry of Food used the title to remind the civilian population of war-torn Britain that the commodity was to be rationed set at 2 ounces per adult each week. This state of affairs would last until 1952, several years after the end of the war. Bombed-out civilians cheered themselves up with a “cuppa” as the drink was referred to. Having a “brew up” was an expression at the time and meant to boil the kettle ready to make a pot of tea.
As Britain’s armed forces expanded and were sent overseas into theaters of operation, tea was drunk by the gallon, even in the hot climate of Libya in North Africa. Even Allied prisoners of war received 4 ounces of tea in their Red Cross parcels. Around 20 million parcels were sent to POW camps amounting to almost 2,232 tons of tea.
Today, some 100 million cups of tea are consumed each day in Britain, with coffee coming in at a close second with 96 million cups a day. The remedy for people in shock, such as being bombed, was always to recommend a mug of strong, sweet tea to calm the nerves.
Visitors to 1940s wartime living history events are reminded of this fact when they see the re-enactors brewing up. Working closely with these groups, I have been offered cups of tea made over open fires and liquid-fueled Primus stoves. Tea prepared over an open wood fire has a distinct taste, while that prepared on a Primus stove is more domesticated. I have seen some groups depicting the Soviet Red Army make tea over an open fire using a giant samovar-type tea pot.
At some events, 1940s-style tea vans turn up to add atmosphere by serving a traditional mug of tea, often accompanied by cake or bread pudding, which is a glutinous lump of stale bread what has been soaked in milk with dried fruit and spices, pressed into a tin and baked in the oven. Somehow, the pairing works and it was popular during the war years. At a Home Front event I saw a lady depicting the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, doing her best to eat this “delicacy” whilst wearing gloves and drinking tea. Groups depicting wartime American units prefer coffee and doughnuts, and watching customers line up for these goodies is a contrast to watching the British Home Front depiction.
During the war, tea vans were staffed by members of the Salvation Army or ladies who served with the Women’s Voluntary Service, such as the two units donated to the Bristol area of the Somerset County Council by a wartime organization using the slogan “Young America Wants to Help”. These were presented in 1941 by St George’s School of Newport, Rhode Island which also maintained them. The school still exists and today a replica version of one of these vans attends events in the Somerset area to remind people of the wartime connection which continues. I’ve tried their tea and it was very good and a welcome refreshment.
Other vehicles from the period have also been converted to serve as tea vans, such as an Austin A2 dated from 1943, which fits the role perfectly. I spotted another similar vehicle at the 2025 Tankfest weekend, where two young ladies were kept very busy trying to keep up with demand for their range of cakes and mugs of tea. They were serving from the rear of a 1936 Beardsley Mk IV van, which had originally be used as a taxi before being converted to the role of tea van by the WVS who used it during the Midlands Blitz.
Nicknamed “Martha”, the vehicle was discovered in 2020 and is one of only two known to exist. The owner, Christy Lou Cornish, says her intention is to “preserve rather than restore…”, something which has been achieved very well. The remedial work carried out included fitting a new ash wood frame to the rear body. In her prime, over 80 years ago, Martha would have been powered by a 4-cylinder, water-cooled, 2.2-liter gasoline Commer engine. Christy and her friend Andrea take it around to various shows and have a Facebook page called Tea With Martha, which enjoys a strong following around the world.
Chrissy, on the left, with Andrea serving tea with a smile from the back of “Martha”, which has been rescued and returned to her proper role of serving tea. John Norris
It wasn’t just the ladies who served in this role; men of the Air Raid Precaution, ARP service, sometimes got involved with pouring out the tea. They were found around the areas hit by air raids where the emergency services needed tea by the mug full. Whilst the men played their part, it was undoubtedly the ladies who provided the bulk of the service. For example, between May 27 and June 4, 1940, when the troops were being evacuated from Dunkirk, 50 women, supported by 40 soldiers, gave out thousands of rolls, sandwiches and pies washed down by gallons of tea prepared from 19 stoves boiling non-stop.
For more than two centuries, from Waterloo in 1815 to present day, British soldiers have been fortified by tea. During the preparation of this column I was reminded of my time in the Army and how, when we were firing on the ranges, the appearance of the tea van was a welcome sight, especially on a cold, wet day. I remembered she was called “Polly Perkins” an ex-Coldstream Guards NCO. My former regiment has a Facebook page called “Grenadier Guards Past and Presen”’ and as an ex-Grenadier Guardsman I put up a post asking how many others remembered Polly Perkins. The response was better than I imagined and some very nice comments were left on the site.
It’s nice to know the tea van is still fondly remembered. Visitors of a certain age attending 1940s events have strong memories of drinking tea during the war and conversations while standing around steaming tea urns. It’s strange to think how the mention of such an ordinary act as drinking a mug of tea can take people down memory lane — including myself.
John Norris