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Tonight on the longest night of the year here in North America I would like to wish everyone a

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE NEW YEAR

and good luck collecting in the new year...…

Santa Mike

Thanks Mike. All the best to you and forum members for Christmas and the New Year. May there be a bargain out there for all of us next year.
Jim

A very happy Christmas to you all.

From a letter to his brother in Rhyl, North Wales, by E. Campbell, C Company Royal Welsh Fusiliers, writing from Chieveley: -
"We were at church on Christmas eve, and Christmas morning at 5-30 Mass. There were 700 or 800 at Holy Communion. Tom Kingston [of Rhyl] was serving at the altar. It was a grand sight. The altar was made up of biscuit boxes. The lads and myself from Rhyl have a decent jangle about Rhyl when we go across to where Tom Kingston is lying. We spent our Christmas pretty jolly. There were sports all over the place, between about 20,000 troops. General Barton commanding our Brigade was trying to make things as comfortable as possible. The Irish Fusiliers won the prize for the best 'Tug of War' team here. The priest who is with this division is attached to them. The officers commanding Company got us a bit of pudding, a bottle of sauce, and a pint of beer for each man, and made Christmas day as happy as possible. General Buller gave every man a cigarette, and every sergeant a cigar. To wind up the day's enjoyment we had a large open air smoking concert, which was attended by all the officers and men in the regiment. The only things short were the camp fires and lights, which were forbidden.

Rhyl Journal, 3rd February 1900

Forum stalwarts
Here is a pic from Vol.II of APGW which shows Christmas on the veldt, December 1901. The artist here, I feel, caught the "feel" of the occasion quite well.
Merry Christmas to all Forum members.
IL.

IL,

This is great. I have been looking for a similar image from The Graphic but so far not found one.

Merry Christmas!
David

A Christmas dinner given to troops at Port Elizabeth by ladies

The ladies of Cape Colony vie with each other in making offerings to troops on the way to the front. At Port Elizabeth, they gave a Christmas dinner to all the troops and bluejackets who were stationed at the time in the town. The entertainment took place in the Feather Market Hall. At Cape Town an association has been formed, the object of which is to meet the incoming transports and provide the soldiers with light refreshments, tobacco, matches and other necessaries.

Source: The Graphic, 3 February 1900