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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 0086.PDF
J/JJGHT JANUARY 24, 1914. THE "UPSIDE-DOWN" DINNER. WHBN tht announcement was made of the holding of an upside- down dinner in honour of Mr. B. C. Hucks and Mr. Gustav Hamel by the Hendon aviators, much fun instantly suggested itself to the average mind, and those who were fortunate enough to attend were not disappointed. The function, which took place at the Royal Automobile Club on Friday night of last week, was further unique from the fact that it was attended only by those intimately associated with aviation, and a jollier and more thoroughly amusing evening could hardly be spent than that in which the The loop plan of the tables. guests participated under the quaint conditions. The menu itself was a work of art, and from first to last, including the shape of the table, everything was carried out wiih the one thing in mind, of its being a " looping the loop, upside-down" function. Evidently the press photographers bad entered into the scheme, as they were awaiting the guests at eight o'clock to take their snaps before the commencement, the result of their flashlight bombs being very assertive for some considerable time into the evening. The guests having tx en called together by the megaphone man with the intimation that " coffee was served," the chairman, Mr. Claude Grahame-White, after the toast of " The King," announced that " You may smoke," the waiters, arrayed in mechanics overalls, at once circling round the room with coffee, clear and thick, liqueurs and tooth-picks. The Savoury consisted of Cana/xla la Chanteloup, Sweets of a. Souffle a la Hucks, the Vegetable of Asperges renversies, the Roast being Bkassines a la Hamel with Salade a la Bleriot, the Entree a Vol au Vent a la Hendon and the Joint Baron de Pauillac a t'Aviation. Then followed for fish the " looping lobster," which was specially announced per the megaphone man as " The lobster is now looping." In solemn procession the great dish with one King Lobster, upside down in ihe centre surrounded by a host of smaller brethren, was carried round the outline of the looped tables, from the chairman back to the chairman, before being scattered in portions to the guests. • With, appropriately, a Consomme de Volatile a la Grahame- While, and Mors dceuTJres, the more material part of the evening's entertain ment concluded, and the health of the King having been given by the chairman prior to the banquet, when Mr. Hucks endeavoured to do honour to it by drinking Giesler from a glass upside down, the speeches opened with a series of very interesting reminiscences by the chairman. In referring to Mr. B.C. Hucks and Mr. Hamel, he pointed out that the Hendon aviators thought that the best way to do honour to these popular pilots was to call all their flying brethren together at a gathering of this character, and the directors of the London Aerodrome had contributed a special gold medal to be presented to each of the guests of the evening, by way of com memoration. In mentioning Mr. Hucks first, as being the first to loop the loop in England, he thought that Mr. Hamel might be coupled with him coaequo, he having been the first to take up a woman to loop the loop, although he, the chairman, was extremely sorry to say that Miss Trehawke Davies, the very courageous lady in question, was at that moment very seriously ill, and he felt that he would be echoing the sentiments of everybody present if he sent Miss Davies a telegram from them all wishing her sincerely a very speedy recovery—a THE -UPSIDE-DOWN- DINNER.-The signatures of those 86 present at the banquet.
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