Mystery Minden Roses at the British Consulate-General, Chicago.

British Consulate General, Chicago.

7 August 2003

The Mystery of the Minden Roses continues.

Almost every August 1st six red roses are delivered anonymously to the British

Consulate-General in Chicago. The card accompanying the roses is always in an envelope

marked "In Memoriam", and reads:

MINDEN DAY

1 AUGUST 1759

The roses have been coming to the Chicago office almost every year since at least 1967. They were delivered to British government offices in St Louis, Kansas City and Minneapolis before those offices were closed. The six roses are assumed to represent the six regiments.

Twice in the past the customer has sent a money order in the name of X.T.Atkins, presumably a pseudonym for a British ex-serviceman, since Tommy Atkins is the British equivalent of G I Joe. The envelope was mailed from North Suburban Illinois and Westchester IL, giving a fictitious address: 1759 Albion - combining the date of the battle and the ancient name for Britain.

The Consulate believes the donor had an ancestor who fought and fell at the Battle of Minden, or that he himself served in one of the regiments. It is, indeed, true that members of these regiments to this day wear roses in their caps on Minden Day, and the officers actually eat them in champagne at dinner.

The Battle of Minden took place during the Seven Years War. The six British regiments at Minden were part of a 43,000 strong Anglo-Hanoverian army, led by Ferdinand of Brunswick, which defeated a French army of 60,000 led by the Marshal de Contades.

Contades bitterly remarked, "I never thought to see a single line of infantry break through three lines of cavalry ranked in order of battle, and tumble them to ruin." The British troops lost 321 (killed or wounded), with Kingsley's [20th Foot] suffering the heaviest casualties, and so Prince Ferdinand issued the following order:

Minden is located on the River Weser, not far from Hanover, Germany. It is still a garrison town, and the British Army is billeted there in some strength. Each year the battle is commemorated with a joint British and German wreath-laying ceremony with a suitable reception usually hosted by the local
British brigade commander afterwards. Following reorganization of the British Army post World War II, the old regiments were amalgamated as follows:

The Chicago Consulate-General should like to thank its anonymous donor. Is there any chance that they might thank him or her in person for paying honor every year to the men who fell on 1 August 1759? Or are they correct in supposing that the roses may be ordered by a lawyer, in execution of a will?

A visitor to this office on 1 August 1991 asked if the roses had been delivered then remarked "It may not go on much longer" and left without further conversation.

Consulate staff were more delighted when the Minden Roses arrived again in 1992 and every year through 2000. They mysteriously did not come in 2001 or 2002, but have now returned.