Christmas Dinner at Trentham Camp
December 1916
The Mayoress (Mrs Jacobina Luke) and her ladies committee organised a Christmas dinner for those remaining at Trentham Camp in December 1916. Despite general leave being granted to the men, there were still many who remained in camp. They either had no home to go to in New Zealand or their homes were too far away to make the return journey during their leave. The dinner was provided on 19th December.
Donations were made by the Gear Meat Company of 25 lambs and 100lb of suet (for the puddings), Nelson Bros provided 20 lambs and E. Barber and Co. 15 lambs. A subcommittee of ladies made the Christmas puddings at the meat works at Ngahauranga. The Wellington Meat Export Company offered an ox to be roasted whole and this was undertaken in a hāngi.
A special train departed at 10am on the morning of the dinner, to take the helpers out to the camp. Hundreds of women gathered at Lambton Station carrying parcels, billies, buckets, tins and bunches of flowers. One woman made a sack for all of her equipment and came along smiling with it slung over her shoulder. The women needed to bring their own cutlery, plate and lunch for the day. Tea was to be provided for them at the camp.
The dinner was served outside. Eighty-five trestle tables were set up in a corner of the racecourse, next to some pine trees. Each table was assigned a matron and seven helpers. The women then collected the rations for their table and set to work shelling peas, cleaning lettuces and cutting up fruit. The Wellington Meat Export Company supplied steam to several tanks filled with Christmas puddings. Just before the dinner was ready, wagons arrived with large barrels of ginger beer and soft drinks.
Newspaper reports stated that between 4,300 and 4,500 men sat down to the dinner. Once the pudding was eaten, cigarettes and tobacco were given out. After dinner, the Camp Commander called for three cheers for Mrs Luke and the hostesses. The Trentham Bank played ‘They are Jolly Good Fellows’. The women then had some dinner themselves before packing up and heading back to the station.
Christmas dinner at Trentham, Wellington: Good fare for our boys in camp during the festive season. Supplement to the Auckland Weekly News, 4 January 1917, p.36. Courtesy of Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19170104-36-03