#Postcards from a soldier #WW1

Sorting through my Grandma's postcard collection, I realised that some of the cards were all sent in 1917 from my grandfather, who was in the Royal Field Artillery, to his young son George.



My grandfather trained as an architect in Bournemouth at the very beginning of the 20th century.  In 1910 he went to work in New York, which must have been an interesting experience.  In 1912 he moved to Montreal where my grandmother travelled to marry him.  Two years later their first son was born and they probably planned to stay living in Canada.  However, after the onset of the First World War, they returned to England.  By 1916 Grandpa was a Lieutenant in the Royal Horse Artillery.  While training at Catterick Camp, he sent several postcards of nearby Richmond in Yorkshire to George and to his wife Connie.


Some of the postcards used patriotic propaganda about the country's brave young men.


Others showed the history of the Royal Artillery.

                   

The motto Ubique reflects that "wherever" the British Army fought there would be members of the Royal Artillery.   Quo fas et gloria ducum means "where right and glory lead."

My grandfather survived the war but he was gassed so this might explain the following two pcs.

              

The second card shows a soldier wearing hospital blues so that anyone seeing him would know that he had fought and was not a shirker.

The following postcard was sent in December 1917 from an army post office in France.


Finally here are two of the beautiful silk embroidered cards which George received.




Which show the badge my grandfather wore on his hat.



My grandfather returned home safely.  His son George died of peritonitis in 1924 aged 10.

7 comments:

  1. Fascinating. I love old postcards and you must really treasure these because of the family link.

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  2. Although my family moved around a lot both in Britain and abroad they never threw anything away. I'm really thankful they were such hoarders!

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  3. What an interesting bit of history. Love the postcards you shared.

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  4. Fascinating. My father-in-law ran a postcard business for many years after he retired. I was always fascinated by the stories they told rather than their intrinsic value. Mind you the history of the cards themselves is also interesting - how they came to be produced, who designed them, where they were sold etc.

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    1. Yes you are right,Gill. I had an article published in Your Family Tree, in September, about collecting postcards to enhance your family history.

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