Todd war diary, 3 August 1914-29 February 1916 / Arthur Todd - Page 197
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[Page 197]
displayed & one surveyed the revelry from the Club balcony. A party of us were taken in for supper by one of the solicitors in the town and later adjourned to a Christmas tree where all were served with gifts. The Writers share of the spoil was a pair of corsets several sizes too small which I one was compelled to wear over my ones mess jacket and having been laced in by skilled female hands was bidden to dance. Later a punch was brewed in a large loving cup from which all partook and about eleven the party broke up.
We now attended the annual Club supper and were regaled with promptly installed as the guests or rather victims of the evening. We were plied steadily with champagne, punch, and turkey and later had to make speeches. Judging from the applause the speeches were good but one fears that Bacchus had done his insidious work no less on the audience than the speakers.
About 3 am such of us as still had legs to walk with were gathered in and put to bed in the houses of friends nearby.
We returned on board early next morning nursing sore heads and slept in preparation for the Christmas feast on board.
Everyone has read about Christmas in a man-o-war. The usual time honoured performance was gone through and at the appointed hour headed by the band all the Officers in uniform and badges to which they were not entitled toured the mess decks to see and mayhap taste the fare which the cooks had prepared.
We encountered boys disguised in the robes of a chief Petty Officer stokers as Engineer lieutenants and more than one parson was performing the holy