The Belgian Vociphone as Charity Tool!

Not a very sexy post today, but info about the Vociphone — the Belgian nose flute – is so scarce, that these little archives have to be published here. They are three occurences in the Belgian newspapers of 1914 and 1915.

The first one comes from Le Matin (Jun. 9, 1914), and relates that BEF2.50 (equiv. of €12 / US$13.5 today) have been collected for the League against Tuberculosis, thanks to a Vociphone piece played by M. Guillaume Jordens:



The two other mini archives are excerpts of the Newspaper La Belgique, dated of Aug. 4 and Oct. 10, 1915. Both comes from the same rubric: Petite Correspondance de Charité ('Little Charity Correspondence'), which details the gifts and donation made to the families of soldier of the Ist World War:



« Mrs Cécile's son – he's good little boy who's physiognomony reflects cleverness and kindness – brought me for our soldiers prisoners of war, a nice puzzle game and a Vociphone. In the parcel I found this note: 'For soldier Pierre's family and with the wish my Suzette gets a quick healing'. I shook the hand of my new friend, and I shake it again as to one of my dearest fellow. »



« Big thanks to the 20 of the Alliance street, who had me brought a jacket, two vests, socks, a cap, a blouse, feathers, a Vociphone, tramway tickets, and… pot spoon, or if you prefer, a 'laddle' »

I'm not sure to understand the precautions taken to write 'laddle' in this last sentence. Had it a link to the fact that 'cuiller à pot' was also the nickname for a cutlass ?