Christmas 1916
Christmas 1916 saw the Second Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers in the trenches on the Western Front. They did however manage Christmas dinner.
Dinner for the men was:
"soup; roast meat with potato, carrort, turnip and onion; plum pudding; an apple, or orange, and nuts. The sergeants had whisky, port and cigars."
Dinner for the officers was:
"pate de foie gras, julienne, curried prawns, roast goose, potato and cauliflower, plum-pudding, anchovy on toast, dessert; Veuve Cliquot, port, cognac, benedictine; coffee."taken from 'The War The Infantry Knew - 1914-1919' by Captain J.C.Dunn.
fired down the range by DC at 6:40 pm
8 Comments:
Nice to know that somethings never change eh?
Sounds like the old Freemason Officers do's. These traditions are passed down from eras where flagrant unfairness was the norm.
My father's brothers -Ben, Ernest,Joe, Jack and Frank all served in the army in WW1 and all survived but Ernest was gassed. My father tried to run away to the army but Gran brought him back. The youngest, Harold served in WW2 along with Ben's three sons - and so it goes.
Gonorr - yup but I guess they pay for it with their mess bills.
Homer - I think it was probably a hang back to the time many battalions spent in India prior to WWI.
FJL - unfair perhaps but tradition is one thing that makes the British Army one of the best.
Pat - I've been reading the book the quote was taken from. I don't think the army of today would cope.
They sure ate well back then.
Feed the army and win :-)
My mum, history lover and all fan of war novels[!] will like this.
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Contrasting menus - sums up the divide.
My two great grandfathers, two great uncles served and died in WW1. Both Great grandads in the Navy, the uncles in the Army.
1:36 AM
(Relisted after some awful late night spelling errors)
Apols for appearing pedantic but 2nd Battalion RWF spent Christmas Day 1916 billeted in Camp 21 near Suzanne.
Also worth noting that "The officers and the Canteen subscribed to a fund for extras for the men" (TWTIK)and that half a pound of plum pudding per man had been provided by a private donor
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