Portsmouth in the Great War by Quail Sarah

Author:Quail, Sarah
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War I
ISBN: 9781473847804
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2014-11-29T16:00:00+00:00

At the Front, Ellis Edge-Partington celebrated Christmas with the British Expeditionary Forces, in their billets, to their immense relief. The weather was very similar to the weather at home. Before they had left the trenches, he had seen a fine holly tree ‘more red than green so great were the number of berries upon it’. He cut off a number of the best branches, and had them taken down to the billets. There, with the help of the regimental bandmaster and a volunteer choir he organized carols which they performed on Christmas Eve at Divisional HQ and Brigade HQ, at their field ambulance, and in three nearby villages where their efforts were greatly appreciated. They had the use of a village schoolroom for a church and he borrowed an item of oak furniture from a neighbouring house to use as an altar. On the wall above his altar he and his team of helpers hung a piece of material the colour of old gold, in the centre of which they placed a fine cross made of the holly. They laid some white linen on the altar, placed their brass cross in the middle, and the candlesticks and vases either side. They then decorated the room with the remains of the holly - and were very pleased with their efforts. Christmas Day was fine and mild. At the first celebration of the day, at 6.30am, he had seventy-two communicants, to his great pleasure.

‘It was a beautiful service, at which we sang the best Christmas hymns to the accompaniment of a piano. It was quite dark, so the room was lit in front by the candles on the altar and behind by two acetylene lamps.’

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.