History of 400 Squadron's Black Velvet Dinners and the OBV Award

Submissions from: Gerry Gilroy, Carl Mills, (Mel) M.B. Pepper, Barry Stewart

One of the many things that we can thank George Georgas for is the fact that the origin of the Black Velvet is in the Squadron History.

In 1940 the Squadron was being moved from Old Sarum to Odiham. The Squadron held a garden party to thank the community and the Station personnel for the great way they had been treated. Black Velvet was served.

Black Velvet The Drink

The Black Velvet is a beer cocktail made from stout beer (often Guinness) and white, sparkling wine, traditionally champagne.

The drink was first created by the bartender of the Brooks's Club of London in 1861, to mourn the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's Prince Consort. It is supposed to symbolise the black or purple cloth armbands worn by mourners.

Preparation

A Black Velvet is made by filling a vessel, traditionally a tall champagne flute, halfway with chilled stout beer and floating the sparkling wine on top of the stout. The differing densities of the liquids cause them to remain largely in separate layers (as in a pousse-café). The effect is best achieved by pouring over a spoon turned upside down over the top of the glass so that the liquid runs gently down the sides rather than splashing into the lower layer and mixing with it.

Mel (M.B.) Peppers Memories

The Squadron Officers obviously enjoyed the BV and the party because they had a Black Velvet party each year after that until the end of the war. However, other than the original 400 Squadron Black Velvet Garden Party, we are not sure how much BV'ing went on during the war years. F/L (ret) M.B. (Mel) Pepper (one of the few living members of the war years ... at the time of this writing in March 2011, (MB is doing well at 92 in his home in Kamloops, BC) was asked by Carl Mills to recall his attendance, or knowledge of, the Black Velvet Parties. Here is his response: