The Canteen Room
The canteen room had a capacity for about 600 persons. In this view, servicemen cluster in front of the food tables. The station platform doorway is out of view at right, while the entry below the American flag was the canteen's walk-in cooler. A corner of the registration and contribution desk is at lower right. The canteen piano is behind the photographer.
“You mean this is all free?,” was the sort of comment that workers at the canteen's registration and contribution desk heard again and again from service personnel incredulous at the admission price.Canteen policy was to also provide treats to family members accompanying a serviceman or woman. (On occasion, workers would bend the rules and provide food or other services to civilians passing through North Platte if a hardship case was evident.)
In return for their labors, canteen volunteers were introduced to the world. Among Allied service personnel who paid a canteen call were English, Chinese, Russians, French, Dutch, Brazilians, Norwegians and French Moroccans. (They were not introduced to the trainloads of German POWs that rolled through also.)
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