NEARLY 4000 “SAXPENCES”

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 88, 23 March 1931, Page 2

NEARLY 4000 “SAXPENCES”

SIR HARRY LAUDER’S PARTY Sir Harry Lauder enjoyed a joke in London, on February I—at1 —at his own expense! He gave a lunch to forty of liis friends on the eve of his departure for South Africa, his “sixth farewell tour,” as he called it, and he paid the bill himself! It cost him nearly £100! The Prime Minister, Mr Pa ms ay MacDonald, was among those present. The jokes associated with the party, alone were worth the money. Sir Thomas Lipton wrote from Cannes expressing his regret. “I nearly thought of flying over to attend,” lie wrote. “If 1 had been certain Harry would have paid -my fare i certainly would have done so. “Harry and I arc going to challenge together for the America Cup. I am going to supply all the experience; Harry will bear all the (posts.”

“I am hoping, now that Harry has started hitting the high spots,” wrote Arthur Dewar, the inheritor of Lord Dewar’s millions, “he will never cease in his well doing. ” All the jokes were like that, says Mr Manner Swaffer, in the Daily express, all the speeches were in that vein.

So that everybody could have a souvonir of this historic occasion there were specially printed menus. '‘Luncheon given by Sir Harry Lauder to his friends” was on the first page.

The wines. Fine Dry Amontillado and ft. 71. lUmnni and Co., Gordon Rouge, 1020, were listed with Courvoisers’ Napoleon, the most expensive brandy on the second, while, opposite were the details of the seven-course lunch —hors d Vnivrc. and smoked salmon, clear soup, filled sole, roast saddle of land) with new potatoes and Brussels sprouts, roast fowl, vanilla ice, with pastries and fruit, and coffee.