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Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward
(For those who know more that I, please correct me politely.)
I have always associated the turned-down glass as a remembrance of British Officer tradition, pre World War I. It would be somewhat like the Legionnaire Officer meal toast - "To our brothers in the sand."
The exact source of it to me was from the introduction to the Modern Library introduction to The Short Stories of H. H. Munro (Saki), by Christopher Morley.
"The smiling bitter rubaiyat from which Hector Munro took his pseudonym were effectively symbolic of his own gift. The empty glass we turn down for him is the fragile, hollow-stemmed goblet meant for the driest champagne; it is of the finest crystal."
(H. H. Munro was killed at the Somme - 14 November, 1916)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kindlekitten
my tradition is more current, US Army
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The Marine Corps has the same thing with the POW/MIA table at our mess nights -although I can't remember if the glass is inverted or not. Regardless, like Ralph said, it is great way to remember people and to ensure that they are thought of.