The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
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The Regiment




Officer's Mess Dinner Aide Memoire

Preparation

  • location
  • invitations: always 1830 for 1910
  • Dress: Mess Kit or Evening Semi-Formal (Black Tie Invited)
  • menu (incl liquor)
  • seating plan (see diagram)
  • artefacts (The Colours, His Nibbs, Quiash Cups, Seating Plan Board, etc)
  • Dinner settings: glasses for white wine, red wine, water and port cutlery for the soup, salad, entr�e and desert courses bread and butter plate w/ butter knife liqueur glasses to be brought out with the Drambuie

Sequence of Events

  • Sherry (1830 hrs)
  • 15 Min Call - High Road to Garroloch (1855 hrs)
  • 5 min call - Jenny�s Bawbee (1905 hrs)
  • all except head table move into dining room and stand by their chairs
  • head table piped in (1910 hrs)
  • grace (padre)
  • soup (White wine served)
  • salad (White wine glasses removed with the salad plates)
  • performance by Piper(s) between courses
  • entr�e (Red Wine served)
  • desert Coffee/ Tea served (no refills offered)
  • table cleared of all settings and glasses except for port glasses
  • passing of the Port
  • Loyal Toast
  • Toasts of Foreign Heads of State (if reqr)
  • Toast to the Colonel-in-Chief
  • Toast to Fallen Comrades
  • Toast to the Regiment: 2 x quaichs each containing 3oz neat Scotch Whiskey carried in on a platter behind the Pipe Major
  • Drambuie
  • thank you to Chef and serving staff
  • speeches (only if absolutely necessary!)
  • performance by the Pipes & Drums
  • head table piped out

1 Coffee should be made available for after the dinner when the guests retire to the Bar area.
2 When the table is cleared, the port decanters are placed on the table in front of the PMC. If a large number of diners are in attendance, decanters will also be placed in front of the VPMC and at the end of each wing table on the left-hand side. When they are in place, the PMC and VPMC unstopper the decanters, charge their glasses, and then pass the decanters to the left and right respectively. Other members having had decanters placed in front of them, will also fill their glasses and pass the decanters to their left. The decanter will not touch the table. No one may touch his port until the Loyal Toast has been proposed. If someone does not drink alcohol due to medical or other reasons, he may drink the Loyal Toast with water.


table

Toasts

1. The Loyal Toast - called by PMC, made by VPMC Toast: Gentlemen (or Ladies and Gentlemen), �The Queen� Response: �The Queen� (Field Officers will add �God Bless Her�)

2. Toasts of Foreign Heads of State (if reqr) - called by PMC, made by VPMC Ex. The Office of the President of the United States

3. Toast to the Colonel-in-Chief -called by PMC, made by VPMC Toast: Gentlemen, �His Royal Highness, Prince Phillip� Response: �Prince Phillip�

4. Toast to Fallen Comrades � called by PMC, made by appointed member the Lament (Flowers of the Forrest) one minute silence 4th verse of Binyon�s For the Fallen: They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. All reply �We will remember them� Toast: Gentlemen, �To Fallen Comrades� Response: �To Fallen Comrades�

5. Toast to the Regiment Steward bearing a tray with the quaichs is piped in by the P/M The P/M and CO each take a quaich The P/M toasts: �SLAINTE AGUS SONAS DU REILIGH AN REGIMENT, AGUS DU NA CARDAN ACHA� The CO responds: �SLAINTE DU PIOBAR� They both empty the quaichs The P/M pipes himself out to The Pibroch of Donal Dubh

1 Only English is used in Cameron Regimental tradition. For CF mess dinners the call is made by the PMC in one of the official languages and the toast is made by the VPMC in the other.

© 2006 - The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada