Pages

Saturday 3 November 2012

Poistcards from Flanders - Military Monday


Long  term readers of my blog will know how much I like to mark  the month of November by thinking of Remembrance Day and paying tribute to our ancestors who fought in war.   

Here, in the first of a series,  I feature the cards in my family collection, most of them sent back by my grandfather William Danson (to his family back home in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.  Below  William and his family - his wife Alice,  daughters Edith and Kathleen (my mother), Harry and baby Billy - photograph taken 1916.   




                

 
Below:  A card sent to my Aunt Edith.
I have always known the dried flower pansies to be inside the card..
Dear Edith, I am sending you a card and hope you like it.
I am allright. Look after mother and baby. From your Dad.

 
 
 
 

This is a card sent to my mother (Kathleen Danson)
for her nineth birthday on September 8th.
The message in pencil is difficult to decipher.

 
 
 


A card sent to baby Billy Danson from "His loving Dad".  

 
 
My grandfather was a tacitturn labourer so this card below, sent to his wife Alice, showed a much more emotional side, though the message below is quite prosaic,

 
Dear Alice, received your letter all right. I have landed back at the Batt and am in the pink. I have had a letter from Jennie  (Wiliam's sister)  and am glad they have heard from Tom.  Your loving husband, Billy XXX


 
 
 
 
Copyright © 2012 · Susan Donaldson. All Rights Reserved
 
Cl.ick here to read  on the BBC history website  the history of these special cards
During WW1 silk postcards and handkerchiefs were bought as souvenirs by soldiers who were serving on the Western Front. Local French and Belgian women embroidered the different motifs onto strips of silk mesh which were sent to factories for cutting and mounting on postcards. There were two kinds of cards, one was a piece of embroidered silk mounted onto a card and the other was two pieces of silk sewn and mounted to form a pocket to contain a message or a silk handkerchief. It is an example of an industry which appeared as a result of war and must have been a useful source of income for families in France and Belgium.
 



For other posts in this year's series of "Lest We Forget"
see
A Soldier's Short Life


Copyright © 2012 · Susan Donaldson.  All Rights Reserved
  Military Monday is one of many daily blog prompts from www.geneabloggers.com
 to encourage writers to record their family history.

3 comments:

  1. What a lovely group of postcards and photos! Very delightful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A lovely collection of cards and memories. You are very lucky to have them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a lovely tribute. Very special cards, photos and memories Sue. Thanks for sharing them.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment which will appear on screen after moderation.