Menu of The Field Mess Dinner of the Canadian Royal 22nd Regiment, 28 August 1917

Regimental Field Mess Dinner Canadian Royal 22nd Regiment 28 August 1917

The Royal 22nd is a storied regiment whose history dates back (through the antecedent units that it perpetuates today) to the Canadian-American War of 1812-14.  At the Battle of Hill 70, the Regiment was in the vanguard of the Canadian attack on 15 August 1917, seizing its Blue line objective swiftly while capturing 150 German prisoners. Finally relieved on the morning of 21 August, the regiment suffered 32 killed and 202 wounded among its officers and men. Yet its Esprit de corps remained indomitable as reflected in this menu and its accompanying commentary.

CHRISTMAS ON THE WESTERN FRONT, 1914-1918 (Q 1631) British troops eating their Christmas dinner in a shell hole, Beaumont Hamel, 25th December 1916 Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205072886

Photo Credit: The Imperial War Museum / Image: IWM (Q 1631)

Complimentary Dinner
"Somewhere in France."

"Zero 7-00 pip emma."1 Let's be ready when the barrage begins

Entrees

Cocktail "Lewis Gun" to start with.

Courage, my friends ! Hors-d'oeuvres "pip squeaked"2 on toast, with the sauce of a jug of Rum.

"Mills Hand Grenade Soup" (approved by the censor). Jokes directed at the Adjutant.

Raise Gas Masks.

Tomatoes, Cabbage (German-marinated) Celery, Cake "Allies of None."

Stuffed burst of shells. Mowatt pickles.
(He'll have it anyway.)

Pièce de résistance to mortality. (Names for Chores, by the doctor.)

Prime rib of beef full of life. (Imported by Pringle et al., Inc.)
3 Five points, nine ends. - 4 to pip. Lots of vegetables.
(Swedish Vegetables for "others to come")
Apples with cream or boiled.
Barbed wire steel small peas.

Harrison's sweetness, scented with \ Trocadero. Meringue in Ammonia
Capsules. (Detonating on contact with lemons.) Fruits, Nuts, Smoked

Bombs, Toothpicks.
Drinks

Black coffee, Tea of the same color. Wines, Water and Plums, brook

water extract. More water, liqueurs, etc.

1“Pip emma” is an old-fashioned British phrase that means “p.m.” or “afternoon/evening”

2 “Pips squeak” is a British term referring to something small or in this case squeezed onto a small piece of toast.

3 This likely refers to a German 5.9-inch howitzer artillery piece.

4 The expression “to pip”; means to narrowly defeat or beat someone-often, at the very last possible moment.

A Few Words to the Guests:

Evening dress will be worn, with tiny caps and breathing apparatus.

A penalty will be charged for any broken dishes or camp
equipment. The Medical Officer will treat any damaged skulls. Be careful not to use the handles of your shovels instead of toothpicks.

Perfect silence is requested during Lieutenant ----------------'s
lecture on "The Nutritional Value of Baked Beans, Special for
Canadian Troops." After the experience he gained in the
trenches of Normandy, Lieutenant ------------- will certainly interest us with his talk on "The cylindrical rods attached to Mill bombs."

A vote will be taken on the choice of "Canned Beef" or "Canned Chicken" for emergency rations.

"O.C."A." Co." for your information. "Always Again" Tomatoes.

Officers expecting to go on leave soon are asked to inquire with Lieutenant --------------, who is said to be writing a book on "Places to Have Fun in London."
Ten minutes will be allotted to Lieutenant ------------------ to tell us "Why Our Airplanes Don't Fall."

Parades of August 28, 1917.
The 8:30 a.m. parade is canceled, and there will be no more until August 29 of the same year.

Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30013360

A standard British D-shaped mess tin used by the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War. Photo Credit: The Imperial War Museum / Image: IWM (EQU 1614)

Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30013360