Queen Victoria Gift Tin - 1900

The three major British chocolate manufacturers, Fry, Cadbury and Rowntree, all Quaker owned companies, produced the chocolate tins. Initially they were reluctant to support the war effort because of the Quaker pacifist ethic. All three manufacturers refused to accept payment for the order and donated the chocolate unbranded. However, the Queen insisted the troops knew they were getting British chocolate and the firms backed down, marking some bars. The tins themselves were never branded.
During the conflict, more than 100,000 tins, each containing half a pound of plain chocolate, were produced. They were very popular with the troops and were often retained by them (sometimes with the contents uneaten) as treasured souvenirs of the war.