58
THE YPRES TIMES
A RETROSPECT OF THE JANUARY
INFORMAL GATHERING.
It is the evening of the third Thursday of the
month and, leaving the turmoil of the traffic of
the Strand, I enter one of the backwaters of that
busy thoroughfare only a few yards away. In
that quiet street I pass through the doors of the
well-known Bedford Head Hotel and, ascending
the staircase to the room on the first floor, the
buzz of conversation from the little groups seated
at the tables greets my ears as I open the door.
With a handshake from a member of the Com
mittee I am welcomed to the Informal Gathering
of the Ypres League and, passing down the
room with a nod to a far-away group, and a
greeting to others nearby, I find my way to one
of the tables and am made welcome by that
spirit of comradeship which typifies the whole
atmosphere of the gathering and which is the
custom for every member to extend to his fellow
members.
We have now left behind the routine of our
daily life, we have set aside our widely divergent
stations in life and, actuated by that common
bond of interest in the Ypres Salient, we find
ourselves taken back fifteen years to the days
when good fellowship was the order of the day.
Why are we gathered together Ex-naval
men, infantrymen, artillerymen, engineers, men
from all branches of the services, and relatives
of comrades who have passed away, all engaged
in good-hearted banter, recalling the episodes of
a period in our lives, catastrophic in itself, but
which saved us from a still greater catastrophe.
Warlike feelings or animosity do not enter into
our talk we meet only to foster a spirit of
remembrance, to encourage that feeling of
goodwill towards one another which was born
of the war, and to keep green the memory of all
that the Salient meant to this country. The
more we can gather together, the happier are
our gatherings, and those present feel the
absence of many of all ranks, who, being free
to do so, have failed to respond to the call which
the League sends out to its members.
At the January Informal Gathering the chief
feature of the evening was provided by Mr. R. S.
Beck, and we listened with unabated attention
to his talk on the battlefields of Arras and the
Somme, whilst he exhibited to us a remarkable
collection of lantern slides to illustrate his
remarks. These were of particular interest as,
having been engaged on active service himself
with the Royal Naval Division in these war-
scarred sectors, he related several personal
incidents of his experiences in connection with
the pictures. His photographs comparing the
buildings of Arras as they were at the close of
the war and as they are being rebuilt to-day,
brought home to us very realistically how the
aspect of France is changing in that region
changes which, the speaker added, would in
some cases prove very beneficial. A note of
sadness was touched when some photographs of
cemeteries and beautiful war memorials in the
Somme area were thrown on the screen and
perhaps, rather appropriately the ringing from
the church on the opposite side of the road, was
faintly heard through the quiet of the room.
We are deeply indebted to Mr. Beck for
affording us such an interesting evening, and
the vote of thanks proposed by Captain C.
Alliston was endorsed by loud and continued
applause. Mr. Beck having replied in a few
words, we settled down to a revival of the old
war choruses which are a feature of these
gatherings. At first, there seemed to be a little
difficulty in getting the members to find their
voices so soon after the lecture, but thanks to
the persistence of Mr. Weller at the piano, and
of the choir which gathered around him, it
was not long before the singing was in full
swing, and so popular was this part of the
evening, that the sing-song lasted to a late
hour, when the meeting broke up with Auld
Lang Syne and the National Anthem.
X.Y.Z.
OUR CHILDREN'S PARTY.
The large hall of the Westminster City School
was the centre of unusual activity on Saturday
afternoon, January 9th, when the London
County Committee staged their annual Children's
Day Out, and over 160 little guests were enter
tained. The hall had been gaily and tastefully
decorated on the previous night by a willing
band of workers who were again on the scene
at the conclusion of the entertainment, all eager
for more jobs.
While the tree was being loaded, the lady-
helpers were busy preparing the huge piles of
rations which were shortly to be consumed.
The children were now beginning to arrive, and
at 4.15 pip emma they went over the top and
the attack began. During the tea an excellent
programme of music was discoursed by an
orchestra composed of members of the Enfield
College of Music. These splendid musicians
were brought by Mrs. Peabody, and their
selections were greatly appreciated.
Immediately following the tea, Mr. Douglas
Craggs commenced his conjuring and ventrilo
quist entertainment and gave a most enjoyable
and interesting hour and a quarter to an audience
completely mystified and delighted. Then came
Musical Chairs on a grand scale followed by
Musical Flopp," and anyone witnessing this
game as played by our guests would have
strenuously denied any assertion that England
has become a C3 or soft nation.
At last the toy distribution took place, and
each little guest, having been given a numbered
ticket, lined up facing the stage. Father
Christmas, admirably portrayed by Captain
Peabody, aided and abetted by Mr. G. F. W.
Cope as Harlequin, in a short speech reminded
the children of the motto, Be Prepared and
then gave them anothernamely, Carry On,"
to remember during the coming year.