CHRISTMAS IN CAMP.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 December 1915, Page 3

CHRISTMAS IN CAMP.

DINNER FOR THE SOLDIERS,

PICNIC CHEERFULNESS. If tho hundreds of people from all parts of New Zealand who contributed to the soldiers' Christmas dinner could have lieard the cheers for them, and seen 'the relish with which the boys in khaki ate the splendid meal, they would have been more than repaid. The gratitude of our men in camp for any civilian attention is a great encouragement to do more, and this year's Christmas dinner was as much a joy to the 500 ladies who did the work as it was to the men for whom it was provided. As a piece of organisation, the dinner for 5000 men, in two separate camps six.' miles apart, was no mean achievement for the Mayoress of Wellington and her helpers, who included most of the bestknown Wellington women. If it had been an ordinary hot dinner, 'the task would have been heavy, but this was a meal such as had never been served before in Trentham, not even in the officers mess. It comprised roast lamb, green peds and potatoes, cold ham with salads, followed by fruit salad and the very best of Christmas puddings, steaming hot. Non-aleoliolic drinks were on tap by the barrel, and Christmas cake was also liberally provided, but in most cases, so ample and luxurious was the ordinary menu for this glad occasion, that wise mess orderlies put the cake away for the lean time, when Government fare, extremely plain, if good, will only be available. DINING UNDER THE TREES. At May Morn camp, where 1200 men are training, tlie dinner was served under the trees, in a most picturesque spot, the grouping of so many uniformed men, surrounded by the ladies attending to them, being a pretty sight, full of animation and brightened still more by the stirring enthusiasm of 'the men over tho good feed.

Several hundred helpers invaded the camp before noon, as ail enormous amount of preparation had to be made for the meal at 6 p.m. Salad dressings, for instance, had to be made by the gallon, hundreds of eases of fruit were swallowed up like magic by long lines of orderlies deputed to carry off supplies for each hutment. EATABLES BY THE TON. • Tho military authorities had nothing to do with the organising of the meal, but their large resources in men were placed at the disposal of the civilians, with the result that the fetching and carrying in the huge camp at Trentham was a problem easily solved. What the big waggons of the Army Service Corps did not handle light-hearted orderlies and gay parties of "fatigues" tackled with the cheerfulness of a picnic job. Supplies came from Wellington by loads of several tons each, and the ladies bad to keep cool heads not to be bewildered by the semeing chaos of heavy cases. Six ladies were told off to take charge of each hutment—there were 08— and while the decorations, the saladings, and the dishes wore being got ready, the materials went thy rounds till everyone was satisfied. ABANDON OF SCHOOLBOYS. Scores of Christmas puddings, weighing !)lb each, were placed in large tanks, and tho steam from a steam lorry gave them their final cooking during the course of the long afternoon. As the men came off duty and saw how their hutments had been transformed with flowers and other decorations, they showed their pleasure with the ligh'tliearted abandon of schoolboys. Early in the day the visitors had an indication of the cheerful spirit in camp. They jheard thousands of mertfcheering. The roar started near the entrance to Trentham, and went in a great wave through the rows of hutments. Bye and by a piled-up motor-lorry with cases of oranges trundled to the distributing point, and the cause of the enthusiasm was explained. Luxuries by the lorryload could not be allowed to come silently without welcome into camp. INSPECTION BY THE GOVERNOR. "The cookhouse" call, sounded by a dozen buglers at six o'clock, brought scores of mess orderlies out at the double. They lined up as at a theatre queue, carrying the big tins and trays on which the lamb and green peas were served out. While the meal went on a party of leading politicians and military men, headed by His Excellency the Governor and the Countess of Liverpool, inspected many of the hutments, and were received with the greatest enthusiasm. . The Earl of Liverpool was suffering from a cold, so he had to cut ■his inspection short. However, the Mayor of Wellington and the politicians persevered with the inspection, though it meant speeches in nearly every hutment. When about a dozen happy dinner parties had been looked up, and the inspecting procession saw that the plum pudding stage had been reached, a hasty calculation was made, and they realised that at the average rate of' progress it would take till nine o'clock to finish the tour. Thus it came about that many parties of men who wanted to cheer the Prime Minister and his colleagues had to do so in their absence. The inspecting party proceeded by motor to May Morn camp, where more happy diners were inspected. When the weary ladies returned to Wellington by a special train late in the evening they were unanimous in declaring that the soldiers in both camps were most gentlemanly in behaviour, and that the men's delight over the great Christmas dinner would bo remembered for many a day.