Friday 21 December 2018

A Christmas meal at Lewisham Military Hospital WWI


Christmas was often celebrated with official approval during the WWI as it was considered important to boost morale. In military hospitals like Lewisham Military Hospital, wounded soldiers would have been joined by army officers, nurses and doctors to celebrate the festive season. Wars were decorated. Food was often plentiful as this dinner menu card from 1915 shows.

Dinner menu Lewisham Military Hospital 1915 ©Lewisham Local History and Archives


The reverse of the menu card shows the programme with details of the evening’s entertainments. It reveals the titles of songs sung. The names of individual soldiers are listed making this archive item a rare record of ordinary men whose existence might otherwise have been lost to history. As such this simple menu is a snapshot of a moment in time in the First World War taken from a local perspective.

Dinner menu programme Lewisham Military Hospital 1915 ©Lewisham Local History and Archives

Julie Robinson, Local Studies Librarian


Facebook: @LewishamHistory
Twitter: #LewishamHistory

No comments:

Post a Comment