Christmas in the Army 1941
Title
Christmas in the Army 1941
Description
Christmas greetings to employees of George Harker and Company Limited. Relates Christmas day activities of an army unit in the Middle East as well as wishing employees well.
Creator
Date
1942-01
Language
Format
On page printed document
Publisher
IBCC Digital Archive
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
MMadgettHR1330340-180724-07
Transcription
[underlined] CHRISTMAS IN THE ARMY 1941 [/underlined]
I spent Christmas in camp with the Troops and we made the most of being “cooped up” and away from home by having a very enjoyable Xmas – at least I through enjoyed myself and I think the Troops did likewise.
Christmas dinner was served out at mid-day by the Officers and Sergeants (the latter having been on cookhouse fatigue all the morning – much to the Gunners’ amusement). The dinner was very good But I almost feel that some of the Troops appreciated more than anything the [underline] free [/underlined] issue of a pint of beer and a packet of cigarettes! A Lance Bombardier dressed up as the Orderly Officer (actually I was Orderly Officer at the time but too busy serving out, so I lent him my hat etc!) and came round with a Gunner, as Orderly Sergeant, asking for any complaints which amused the Troops quite a lot and produced a good amount of cat calls. The climax came when someone upset a pint bottle of beer over y peaked hat, but it didn’t really do any harm and added to the merriment of the party.
On this occasion I wish to take the opportunity of wishing all at G.H. & Co., a happy Xmas and a Peaceful happier year to come. It is nearly twelve months since I was arguing costs on “Custard Powder! – I should quite enjoy doing my alterations again!
I shall be up here possibly until the New Year then I believe they are going to look me out a “camel” and some warmer weather.
I was very pleased to have the opportunity of reading such an interesting account of life in the Middle East as seen through the eyes of G.H. & Co.
I hope that I shall soon depart to one of the spheres of active operations and I think that my sentiments are shared by almost all those who have been stationed in the British Isles since the war began. Everyone is satiated with training, but as long as the threat of invasion remains, so do we. May G.H & Co., have a prosperous 1942.
We are pleased to get cheery letters from you all with New Year Greetings. The above replies will interest you. Best of luck to you all for 1942.
GEORGE HARKER & CO LTD.
January 1942
I spent Christmas in camp with the Troops and we made the most of being “cooped up” and away from home by having a very enjoyable Xmas – at least I through enjoyed myself and I think the Troops did likewise.
Christmas dinner was served out at mid-day by the Officers and Sergeants (the latter having been on cookhouse fatigue all the morning – much to the Gunners’ amusement). The dinner was very good But I almost feel that some of the Troops appreciated more than anything the [underline] free [/underlined] issue of a pint of beer and a packet of cigarettes! A Lance Bombardier dressed up as the Orderly Officer (actually I was Orderly Officer at the time but too busy serving out, so I lent him my hat etc!) and came round with a Gunner, as Orderly Sergeant, asking for any complaints which amused the Troops quite a lot and produced a good amount of cat calls. The climax came when someone upset a pint bottle of beer over y peaked hat, but it didn’t really do any harm and added to the merriment of the party.
On this occasion I wish to take the opportunity of wishing all at G.H. & Co., a happy Xmas and a Peaceful happier year to come. It is nearly twelve months since I was arguing costs on “Custard Powder! – I should quite enjoy doing my alterations again!
I shall be up here possibly until the New Year then I believe they are going to look me out a “camel” and some warmer weather.
I was very pleased to have the opportunity of reading such an interesting account of life in the Middle East as seen through the eyes of G.H. & Co.
I hope that I shall soon depart to one of the spheres of active operations and I think that my sentiments are shared by almost all those who have been stationed in the British Isles since the war began. Everyone is satiated with training, but as long as the threat of invasion remains, so do we. May G.H & Co., have a prosperous 1942.
We are pleased to get cheery letters from you all with New Year Greetings. The above replies will interest you. Best of luck to you all for 1942.
GEORGE HARKER & CO LTD.
January 1942
Collection
Citation
G Harker, “Christmas in the Army 1941,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 1, 2023, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/11273.
Item Relations
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