Menu - Seaforth Highlanders of Canada Christmas dinner, Russi, Italy, 1944. From the Regimental History, pages 390 - 391: "By one means or another the Quartermaster and the Quartermaster Sergeants gathered in the "offerings" which happened to come into Seaforth hands by a variety of accidents, unusual liberations, or, in a pinch, straightforward purchases. Back of the lines the cooks were working hard, while others-pipers, company clerks, and so forth-made such preparations as they could to make the atmosphere as happy a one as circumstances would permit. Christmas Day itself was cold and clear with very little shelling, and on the following day the Seaforths were relieved and went back over the Lamone to billets in Russi. Here, on the 27th, the Seaforths celebrated Christmas. It was clear, sunny and cold when the first company filed noisily into the large windowless building facing the town square of Russi. The banquet hall with its high ceiling was large enough to hold one company at a time, so six sittings had been arranged and the officers and sergeants were kept busy until nightfall serving turkey and pork with all the trimmings to the men. The hall had been decorated, the Pipes and Drums were in attendance, Padre Durnford led the carol singing, and perhaps best of all, unlike the last Christmas when one company left to go back into the line to kill or be killed, the men could return in peace to their billets. "An atmosphere of festivity prevailed over the assembly," wrote the war diarist, "which spoke volumes for the organization which had so largely contributed to its success." From mid-morning until eight in the evening the cooks worked valiantly. After turkey and vegetables came the Christmas pudding with rum sauce and the minces pie washed down with beer. Then tea or coffee, apples and oranges, nuts and candy-indeed it was a feast which would have matched anything the cooks might have put on under the most favourable peacetime conditions. It was a time, too, to meet old friends since those left out of battle together with the men who served in "B" Echelon were united after being apart for several weeks. The Christmas carols intermixed with the music of the pipes was the best entertainment that could be provided, and of course the traditional custom of being served by the officers21 and sergeants was an added enjoyment. Now and then one of the cooks would pop in to survey the scene and then dash back to a busy, hot kitchen where the petrol-fed burners kept large cauldrons steaming hot for the next group. The Seaforths were fortunate to have such cooks for these men, working behind the scenes and not infrequently under shell-fire, served the battalion well. Considering the wartime rations and the difficulties under which they worked at all hours of the day and every day of the year, the cooks deserved and received the thanks of everyone in the unit."