HMT Queen Elizabeth in Halifax Harbour Xmas Menu

Hi, I just read this in Canoe News. I WONDER whose names are on this menu? Does anyoine know which Regiments would have been on this ship coming home from the war in Dec 1945?

History on the Menu signed by Returning Troops

By TAMARA KING, STAFF REPORTER

A Manitoba man sees a Second World War-era dinner menu as a piece of history -- and one he'd like to share.

St. Lazare resident Terry Haney is hoping to track down some of the former soldiers who signed their names on the back of a menu from a Christmas meal aboard a Canadian Army ship on Dec. 25, 1945.

The keepsake shows a picture of the Cunard ship HMT Queen Elizabeth in Halifax Harbour and lists what was surely a scrumptious spread for soldiers coming home after the war: turkey, cold ham, green peas, lettuce salad, topped off with fresh fruit and Christmas cake.

Handwritten signatures and addresses are scrawled on the back of the card, but Haney hasn't had any luck finding the men that way.

Haney's niece found the old menu after taking possession of a war veteran's home in Russell, near the Saskatchewan border.

"I think the guys on the list deserve it. It's a little keepsake for them or their families," said Haney.

'THEY'RE ALL SURVIVORS'

"(Shortly) after they signed this, they probably thought they'd never see these guys again."

It probably isn't worth much money, but Jaime Cline of Marway Militaria, a collectors shop in Winnipeg, thinks Haney's find is a good keepsake. She said some collectors like the old cards and menus, although there isn't a lot demand for those items.

"The good thing about this one is it's signed, so a historian could research some of the people," said Cline.

"The neat thing is it's after the war, so they're all survivors and there's a chance some are still alive," added Jaime's father, Wayne Cline.

As for the original card, Haney said he's not interested in selling it, but hopes a legion hall might be interested in displaying it -- especially since most of the signatures are from Manitobans.

"I'd like to put it where people can see it," said Haney, who said his father was a Second World War vet.

Karmen