Hallo all When my mum was a hippy in the mid Sixties my veteran Grandad (Queen's) asked if she could get hold of hasish - as the last time he had had it was in the North Africa desert "under the stars" and he'd enjoyed it. Was drug abuse widely problematic or known about on this particular Front, due to the local custom of 'hookah pipe' and hashish? And did the Germans and Italians have similar problems? Or was this issue treated in another way? kind regards
I have never read about the use of hashish in the accounts of the Axis troops (they were more than happy, if the could gather a bottle of alcoholic beverage captured from the British ;-)). Further, I do not believe that the local population in Libya was using hashish at all - amongst the sect of the Senussia, even smoking of tobacco was forbidden (an there was a serious punishement!).
Hallo Kuno I've only found one reference here "Left North Africa early Feb. 1945 on Liberty Ship U.S.S. Asa Gray, along with contingent of Senegalese Troops, who played their flutes and smoked hashish." Warren Lodholtz I guess what would help is knowing what they called it back then, it must have had a slang word. 'Hookah Pipe' doesn't imply hashish use automatically does it? I'm not very knowledgable on these cultural history things! Thanks for the reply! Kind regards
At Home Dad - Senegalese troops were not from Lybia as were the Senussia - who were forbidden to smoke anything ! I have never heard of any hashish being sought out in North Africa by British troops - the only drugs we dealt with were of tobacco makes - or the odd beer - drugs never really came to the fore until the Viet Nam carry on Cheers
If the troops were from the more Eastern side of Africa they may have been using a similiar drug to Hasish Called 'Chat'. Its a cultural drug used widely in the Somalia regions of Africa. Its a green leaf type vegatable matter that is chewed and had the same type of effects as smoking drugs like Cannabis or Hasish. Its not illegal in this country
I'm aware of Khat, as they call it around here, there were rows of cafes chocker full of blokes chewing it one time! I'm wondering whether he became aware of hashish in Egypt and not Libya. Apparently it was quite the hub of the smuggling/ disrtibution network, so .... thanks for the input, all interesting replies kind regards