TRANSCRIBED FROM THE TIMES-ECHO FEBRUARY 4, 1919 P. 1
La Rochelle, France, 1-20-19.
Dear Uncle John:
As you are one of the best Elks that ever roamed the woods of Carroll county, I know you will be interested in the account of a little B. P. O. E. meeting we wandering brothers had in far away France on the last evening of 1918.
There are less than a hundred members of our order here in this base section, so far as we know, but they are a loyal lot; so when it was whispered around that we would observe the revered custom of holding a New Year’s eve meeting, every Elk that heard of it (and all we could find heard about it, all right) was ready with his little twenty-franc fee to make it a big success. The necessary committees were appointed to arrange the eats and other forms of refreshments, and a place for the gang to enjoy them; the Dug-out Harmony Four—otherwise known as the Guardhouse Quartet—were engaged to appear at the hour of ten and render a few choice selections and the best decorators in the engineers organization put to work on appropriate B. P. O. E. emblem posters, bunting, menus, etc. Am sending a sample of the latter, just to show you that Mr. Hoover and the leading authorities on prohibition were not consulted as to what Elks should eat nor what Elks should drink when they hold a meeting in the A. E. F. for the purpose of celebrating the last day of the greatest year since the Christian era began. We held our meeting in the dining room of the Hotel de la Paix, a quaint old hostelry, where Cardinal Richelieu often ate, after crushing the Huguenots of La Rochelle, some 300 years ago; where Napoleon used to appease his hunger and quench his thirst on his way to or from Bordeaux, and where everyone of our bunch of Elks will do the same if he ever passes through LaRochelle in the years that are to come.
We drank to the health of the brothers back home for the wonderful spirit Elks have shown in backing us over here with their money and enthusiasm over there and the glory of licking the Hun we split 50-50 with the boys back home, who put the Liberty loans across whenever the A. E. F. exchequer ran low.
Long before next New Year’s eve, we hope to be with the brothers back in the good old U. S. A. and we’ll tell you more about the meeting at La-Rochelle, December 31, 1918.
Fraternally yours,
JAMES E. PHILLIPS,
Major Medical Corps.
21st Grand Div., Trans. Corps. Base
Sec. 7, S. O. S., Amer. E. F., France.
Following is the menu:
Dine de 31 the 1918
--
Crème Pompadour
Soles Belle Helene
Poularde de Bresse a la Rroche
Pomme Parisienne
Salade de Laison
Petits pois a la Francaise
--
Riz Alexandra
Mousses Chocblab
Tromage Montiautt
Corbeille Fruits
--
Vins de cotes en carajes
Vins Fins
Chatmpagne
Café Liqueurs
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS
La Rochelle, France, 1-20-19.
Dear Uncle John:
As you are one of the best Elks that ever roamed the woods of Carroll county, I know you will be interested in the account of a little B. P. O. E. meeting we wandering brothers had in far away France on the last evening of 1918.
There are less than a hundred members of our order here in this base section, so far as we know, but they are a loyal lot; so when it was whispered around that we would observe the revered custom of holding a New Year’s eve meeting, every Elk that heard of it (and all we could find heard about it, all right) was ready with his little twenty-franc fee to make it a big success. The necessary committees were appointed to arrange the eats and other forms of refreshments, and a place for the gang to enjoy them; the Dug-out Harmony Four—otherwise known as the Guardhouse Quartet—were engaged to appear at the hour of ten and render a few choice selections and the best decorators in the engineers organization put to work on appropriate B. P. O. E. emblem posters, bunting, menus, etc. Am sending a sample of the latter, just to show you that Mr. Hoover and the leading authorities on prohibition were not consulted as to what Elks should eat nor what Elks should drink when they hold a meeting in the A. E. F. for the purpose of celebrating the last day of the greatest year since the Christian era began. We held our meeting in the dining room of the Hotel de la Paix, a quaint old hostelry, where Cardinal Richelieu often ate, after crushing the Huguenots of La Rochelle, some 300 years ago; where Napoleon used to appease his hunger and quench his thirst on his way to or from Bordeaux, and where everyone of our bunch of Elks will do the same if he ever passes through LaRochelle in the years that are to come.
We drank to the health of the brothers back home for the wonderful spirit Elks have shown in backing us over here with their money and enthusiasm over there and the glory of licking the Hun we split 50-50 with the boys back home, who put the Liberty loans across whenever the A. E. F. exchequer ran low.
Long before next New Year’s eve, we hope to be with the brothers back in the good old U. S. A. and we’ll tell you more about the meeting at La-Rochelle, December 31, 1918.
Fraternally yours,
JAMES E. PHILLIPS,
Major Medical Corps.
21st Grand Div., Trans. Corps. Base
Sec. 7, S. O. S., Amer. E. F., France.
Following is the menu:
Dine de 31 the 1918
--
Crème Pompadour
Soles Belle Helene
Poularde de Bresse a la Rroche
Pomme Parisienne
Salade de Laison
Petits pois a la Francaise
--
Riz Alexandra
Mousses Chocblab
Tromage Montiautt
Corbeille Fruits
--
Vins de cotes en carajes
Vins Fins
Chatmpagne
Café Liqueurs
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY LINDA MATTHEWS