This Christmas party is one with a difference. It was held on Christmas Day 1914 for Belgium refugees living in England after their villages had been overrun by the invading German army.
Like many women of the time, Elen, the heroine of ‘We That are Left’ had watched the men march proudly away in the summer of 1914 to rescue gallant little Belgium. By Christmas 1914 it was beginning to sink in that this was not going to be so simple, and the world would never be the same again – not least for women like Elen, taking over work they had once been considered to frail to even attempt, and embarking on a journey of self-discovery from which there was no return….
So come and join the Belgium refugees, who have lost everything, being taken to the hearts of their hosts in an English moat house for a Christmas of joy and tears.
And if you want to join in their celebrations, there’s nothing better than the legendary WW1 Seed Cake from ‘We That are Left’ – delicious at all times of the year! You can find the recipe HERE
And I’m giving away a signed copy of ‘We That are Left’. Leave a comment on this post to be entered into the draw – winners to be announced on Monday 23rd.
A Christmas Day reunion at the Moat House for Belgium Refugees – Christmas 1914
By a happy inspiration it was decided to extend an invitation to Belgians resident in the Borough who have passed through the Moat House Reigate, to partake of dinner at the Moat House on Christmas Day. A happy party numbering about 24 were enabled to respond to the invitation so kindly given and no efforts were spared to give them a right good time. Their happiness was contributed to in every way and everything possible was done to obliterate the sorrows of the past in the kindly hospitality lavishly dispensed. The Moat House was appropriately decorated for the occasion and the reunion proved of a most happy character. A Christmas dinner of good old English fare was served about 5 o’clock.
You can find a copy of ‘We That are Left’ published by Honno Press here:
Thank you for joining our party
now follow on to the next enjoyable entertainment…
1. Helen Hollick : You are Cordially Invited to a Ball
http://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/you-are-invited-to-party_17.html?
2. Alison Morton : Saturnalia surprise – a winter party tale
http://alison-morton.com/2014/12/20/saturnalia-surprise-a-winter-party-tale-and-giveaway/
3. Andrea Zuvich : No Christmas For You! The Holiday Under Cromwell http://www.andreazuvich.com/history/no-christmas-for-you-the-holiday-under-cromwell/
4. Ann Swinfen : Christmas 1586 – Burbage’s Company of Players Celebrates http://annswinfen.com/2014/12/christmas-party/
5. Anna Belfrage : All I want for Christmas
https://annabelfrage.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/all-i-want-for-christmas-the-christmas-party-blog-hop/
6. Carol Cooper : How To Be A Party Animal http://pillsandpillowtalk.com/2014/12/19/how-to-be-a-party-animal/
7. Clare Flynn : A German American Christmas http://www.clareflynn.co.uk/blog/a-german-american-christmas
8. Debbie Young : Good Christmas Housekeeping http://authordebbieyoung.com/2014/12/20/christmas/
9. Derek Birks : The Lord of Misrule – A Medieval Christmas Recipe for Trouble https://dodgingarrows.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/christmas-blog-hop-the-lord-of-misrule-a-medieval-christmas-recipe-for-trouble/
10. Edward James : An Accidental Virgin and An Uninvited Guest https://busywords.wordpress.com/an-accidental-virgin/
and https://busywords.wordpress.com/the-birthday-party/
11. Fenella J. Miller : Christmas on the Home front http://fenellamiller.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/christmas-on-home-front-and-giveaway.html
12. J. L. Oakley : Christmas Time in the Mountains 1907 https://historyweaver.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/christmas-time-in-the-mountains-1907/
13. Jude Knight : Christmas at Avery Hall in the Year of Our Lord 1804
14. Julian Stockwin: Join the Party http://julianstockwin.com/christmas-bloghop-join-the-party/
15. Lauren Johnson : Farewell Advent, Christmas is come” – Early Tudor Festive Feasts http://laurenjohnson1.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/farewell-advent-christmas-is-come-early-tudor-festive-feasting-christmas-party-blog-hop/
16. Lucienne Boyce : A Victory Celebration – http://francesca-scriblerus.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/a-victory-celebration.html
17. Nancy Bilyeau : Christmas After the Priory http://nancybilyeau.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/blog-hop-christmas-after-priory.html
18. Nicola Moxey : The Feast of the Epiphany, 1182 http://nickymoxey.com/2014/12/19/the-feast-of-the-epiphany-1182/
19. Peter St John: Dummy’s Birthday http://jennospot.blogspot.fr/2014/12/dummys-party.html
20. Regina Jeffers : Celebrating a Regency Christmas http://reginajeffers.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/celebrating-a-regency-era-christmas/
21. Richard Abbott : The Hunt – Feasting at Ugarit http://richardabbott.authorsxpress.com/2014/12/19/the-hunt-feasting-at-ugarit/
22. Saralee Etter : Christmas Pudding — Part of the Christmas Feast http://saraleeetter.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/christmas-pudding-part-of-the-christmas-feast/
23. Stephen Oram : Living in your dystopia: you need a festival of enhancement… http://stephenoram.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/living-in-your-dystopia-13-you-need-a-festival-of-enhancement/
24. Suzanne Adair: The British Legion Parties Down for Yule 1780 http://www.suzanneadair.net/2014/12/19/the-british-legion-parties-down-for-yule-1780/
25. Lindsay Downs http://lindsaydowns-romanceauthor.weebly.com/lindsay-downs-romance-author/o-christmas-tree-o-christmas-tree
Thank you for joining us
Lovely will definitely share this for you.
Thank you Rosie! x
How delightful the thought of twenty four guests.
I’ve enjoyed reading this – thanks for sharing .I must try the seed cake recipe!
Happy Christmas 🙂
I adore that book cover! Thanks for the lovely image of sharing at Christmas.
The seed cake looks delicious. Thank you for posting the recipe!
Lovely to read this post – and I seem to have other Honno offerings on my bookshelf, eg Heart on my Sleeve. Happy Christmas to you.
Thanks Carol – and enjoy the wonderful Honno’s books! 🙂
I don’t know much about the availability of food during world war 1. How easy would it have been to get these ingredients? I’m struck by the number of eggs required.
Yes you are right Karen that eggs would have been difficult to get during WW1. Although rationing didn’t arrive until the end of the war there were plenty of shortages. This is a recipe Elin would have used before the war and adapted to cope with the shortages. We kept the version with eggs and sugar because it’s so delicious. It’s my favourite recipe from the book – apart from the Cornish Lady’s Meatless Meal from a newspaper of the time. Vegetarianism became a necessity rather than just for cranks and Fabians like George Bernard Shaw. Nadolig Llawen!
Thanks for that insight Juliet. Nadolig Llawen.
Thanks for the fascinating information about the Belgian refugees. Bristol also welcomed many refugees, and Christmas must have been particularly hard for them.
That’s fascinating Lucienne. Yes it must have been a sad time for them at Christmas – and it was going to be such a long time before they could go home.
I really enjoyed what you have shared. It has opened up new avenues of interest. I knew a great deal of WWIi, but not so much of WW!, but just this past week, I included a post on my blog on the Open Christmas Letter of 1914 and on Tuesday I have a scheduled post on the Christmas Truce of that same year. I need to spend more time in this era of history in the future.
Both sides suffered terribly especially at Christmas. I have come across one of the brass tins, that were given at Christmas by the Princess Royal to the troops. The seed cake looks delicious, although I will have to make the poppy seed version, since my husband, unlike his mother, hates caraway seeds.