Each week Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for
genealogy bloggers to share their family history through
photographs.
This week's fun prompt features passengers on a tram enjoying a song with Father Christmas.
I couldn't come up with anything on a similar vein, so have returned to the theme of Christmas as a family time, and featured more of the cards sent during the First World War by my grandfather William Danson of Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. The two scenes of Brussels were sent to his daughters, Edith and Kathleen (my mother) around Christmas 1918, when presumably he was waiting to be demobbed.
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Left - William (1884-1962) was the fifth son of James Danson and Maria Rawcliffe who went onto to have four more sons and one daughter. Five of their sons fought in the First World War, which saw the deaths of George and John. William won the Military Medal at Givenchy and fought in the mud of Passchendael. The romantic cards he sent to his wife Alice featured in my previous Sepia Saturday posting - "Love From Flanders Field".
Grandad never talked about his war experiences, but the collection of card he sent to his family back home remain a poignant treasure of this time, and something I am very proud to have.
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| William's daughters - Edith and Kathleen (my mother), c.1916 |
24th December 1918 - Dear Edith, Just a card to let you know that I am in the best of health. I am staying not from the ?? that is on the card. From her Dad XXXXXX
30th December 1918 - Dear Kathleen, I am in the pink and hope mother and family are the same. Will send a few more cards in a day or so. From her Dad XXXXXX
With best wishes to all my blog readers.
Your comments and support mean a lot.
To see how other Sepia Saturday
participants have interpreted this week's
theme - Click
HERE
Copyright © 2012 · Susan Donaldson. All Rights Reserved
These sensors seemed to have a talent for dropping their stamp on the key word. Also I am surprised to learn that British troops were still in Belgium, more than a month after Armistice Day.
ReplyDeleteI have only spent a few days in Brussels but can recognise it form those cards.
ReplyDeleteThe daughters must have been excited to receive those cards.
ReplyDeleteGreat father-to-daughter cards; nothing like the real thing to give you a sense of family history!
ReplyDeleteBeing away at Christmas must have been hard for everyone making those cards even more precious.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a hard time of year for anyone to be separated from family and for soldiers especially so. What wonderful memories these are to have.
ReplyDeleteYes you are very fortunate to have these cards. They are so telling in their photos and I have read no one wanted to talk about their experiences. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteQMM
A lovely collection of cards, in a dire time.
ReplyDeleteYou are right to cherish these.
Happy Holidays!!
:)~
HUGZ
Cards to treasure.
ReplyDeleteHappy Christmas
That Christmas of 1918 must have felt so very different than those of the previous 4 years. Sadness and Joy for so many, these are indeed special treasures. Merry Christmas.
ReplyDelete"Grandad never talked about his war experiences" ... it's a common thread. My grandfather almost never talked about his service during the Great War, except to his old wartime buddies. I suspect the memories were too traumatic to want to relive, and too complex to have to explain to someone who wasn't there.
ReplyDeleteI love the candy colors in those tinted cards. Insanely delicious!
ReplyDeleteThese are such beautiful cards! How special that you still have them.
ReplyDelete