Princess Mary Christmas gift box: Difference between revisions
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
==Princess Mary Christmas fund== |
==Princess Mary Christmas fund== |
||
Following the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in August 1914, the [[British Expeditionary Force]] was sent to the [[Western Front]] and was soon supplemented by troops from the [[British Empire|Empire]], including from [[British Raj|India]] and [[Canada]].<ref name="PearceStewart2013">{{cite book|author1=Malcolm Pearce|author2=Geoffrey Stewart|title=British Political History, 1867–2001: Democracy and Decline|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JbTbAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA289|date=13 September 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-45353-3|pages=289–291}}</ref> In October 2014, [[George V]]'s 17 year old daughter, [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Mary, Princess Royal]], launched an appeal to fund every member of the armed forces receiving a Christmas gift.<ref name="Parkhouse2015">{{cite book|author=Valerie B. Parkhouse|title=Memorializing the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902: Militarization of the Landscape: Monuments and Memorials in Britain|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=BmxKBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA78|date=28 January 2015|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-78088-401-1|page=78}}</ref> Shortly before Christmas 1914, advertisements were placed in the British press seeking donations for the "Soldiers and Sailors Christmas fund" and £152,691 was soon raised.<ref name="Hudson2014">{{cite book|author=John Hudson|title=Christmas 1914|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=eyabBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT13|date=15 October 2014|publisher=History Press Limited|isbn=978-0-7509-6038-0|pages=13–14}}</ref> |
Following the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in August 1914, the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War I)|British Expeditionary Force]] was sent to the [[Western Front]] and was soon supplemented by troops from the [[British Empire|Empire]], including from [[British Raj|India]] and [[Canada]].<ref name="PearceStewart2013">{{cite book|author1=Malcolm Pearce|author2=Geoffrey Stewart|title=British Political History, 1867–2001: Democracy and Decline|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=JbTbAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA289|date=13 September 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-45353-3|pages=289–291}}</ref> In October 2014, [[George V]]'s 17 year old daughter, [[Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood|Mary, Princess Royal]], launched an appeal to fund every member of the armed forces receiving a Christmas gift.<ref name="Parkhouse2015">{{cite book|author=Valerie B. Parkhouse|title=Memorializing the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902: Militarization of the Landscape: Monuments and Memorials in Britain|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=BmxKBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA78|date=28 January 2015|publisher=Troubador Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-78088-401-1|page=78}}</ref> Shortly before Christmas 1914, advertisements were placed in the British press seeking donations for the "Soldiers and Sailors Christmas fund" and £152,691 was soon raised.<ref name="Hudson2014">{{cite book|author=John Hudson|title=Christmas 1914|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=eyabBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT13|date=15 October 2014|publisher=History Press Limited|isbn=978-0-7509-6038-0|pages=13–14}}</ref> |
||
==The boxes== |
==The boxes== |
||
Revision as of 12:45, 21 October 2015
The Princess Mary Christmas gift box was a brass or silver tin containing a number of gifts intended to be distributed to all members of the armed forces of the British Empire on Christmas day 1914, during World War I.[1][2]
Princess Mary Christmas fund
Following the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, the British Expeditionary Force was sent to the Western Front and was soon supplemented by troops from the Empire, including from India and Canada.[3] In October 2014, George V's 17 year old daughter, Mary, Princess Royal, launched an appeal to fund every member of the armed forces receiving a Christmas gift.[4] Shortly before Christmas 1914, advertisements were placed in the British press seeking donations for the "Soldiers and Sailors Christmas fund" and £152,691 was soon raised.[5]
The boxes
The funding was used to manufacture small boxes made of silver for officers and brass for all others.[4] Each was decorated with an image of Mary and other military and imperial symbols and typically filled with an ounce of tobacco, a packet of cigarettes in a yellow monogrammed wrapper, a cigarette lighter, and a Christmas card and photograph from Princess Mary.[6] Some contained sweets, chocolates,[7] and lemon drops.[4]
Distribution
The boxes were originally intended for "every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front" on Christmas day 1914, but eligibility was soon extended to everyone "wearing the King's uniform on Christmas day".[5] Whilst around 400,000 were delivered by Christmas, distribution was not completed until 1920 by which time approximately 2.5 million had been delivered.[5]
References
- ^ John Sadler; Rosie Serdiville (9 May 2013). Tommy at War: 1914-1918 The Soldiers' Own Stories. Biteback Publishing. p. 267. ISBN 978-1-84954-609-6.
- ^ Fergus Reed. "Princess Mary Gift Fund 1914 Box and Contents". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ Malcolm Pearce; Geoffrey Stewart (13 September 2013). British Political History, 1867–2001: Democracy and Decline. Routledge. pp. 289–291. ISBN 978-1-136-45353-3.
- ^ a b c Valerie B. Parkhouse (28 January 2015). Memorializing the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902: Militarization of the Landscape: Monuments and Memorials in Britain. Troubador Publishing Ltd. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-78088-401-1.
- ^ a b c John Hudson (15 October 2014). Christmas 1914. History Press Limited. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-0-7509-6038-0.
- ^ Phillip Tardif (30 June 2015). The North Irish Horse in the Great War. Pen and Sword. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-4738-3375-3.
- ^ M.J. Trow (28 February 2015). Isle of Wight in the Great War. Pen and Sword. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-78346-301-5.