So I decided to write about a different sort of kiss.
Grandfather Roy was one of the thousands of Aussie young men who volunteered to serve his country in World War 1 and was sent to France. He wrote to his Annie every week when he could (and married her when he returned). She kept every letter and now I have them. Every letter is signed the same way. "With fondest love from ever your own Roy XXXXXXXXXXXXX"
Postcards were enormously popular during World War 1. We have a few in our treasure box but I found this beautiful card in the State library of Victoria.
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| Embroidered post card sent from France, 1914-1918. State Library of Victoria, http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/16590 |
Lot's of kisses in this post. I never heard of embroidered post cards before this weeks thems. They are beautiful.
ReplyDelete"...and next time when I write I hope it shall be from a different address." There is so much longing in this sentence, it's almost more intense than a kiss...
ReplyDeleteAs Peter said, there's longing in the sentence, but those X's say it all -- Roy was serious about those kisses! You inherited an amazing collection of letters allowing you to be witness to your grandparents' love.
ReplyDeleteHi, Lorraine - we have written such similar posts on our grandparents from different sides of the world. I love your embroidered card and it fits the theme so beautifully. How wonderful to have all the letters too.
ReplyDelete'from a different address' could have been a hidden message so that she knew he was moving; actual place names would be censored. How lucky you are to have inherited their letters.
ReplyDeleteRoy was lucky to have survived to marry his sweetheart. So many soldiers met a different outcome.
ReplyDeleteThankyou all for your lovely comments. Meri, Roy was actually badly injured and only just survived. I'll write a blog about that one day.
ReplyDeleteWonderful treasures. How long did it take for a postcard to travel from France to Australia in WW1? Some British soldiers could count on regular parcels as well as letters, but the ANZAC forces must have had less frequent post.
ReplyDeleteA Kiss From France will do perfectly. Another beautiful card - but it is more than a card, it is a thin slice of rich history.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the embroidered cards were sent in envelopes or just dropped in the mail as is. Hard to imagine something this delicate making it through the machinery today. We really are missing out on a lot of the texture in life these days. Things simply aren't made to be tactile and memorable.
ReplyDelete