How did WW1 soldiers send letters home?

How did WW1 soldiers send letters home?

In 1917 alone, over 19,000 mailbags crossed the English Channel each day, transporting letters and parcels to British troops on the Western Front. Soldiers wrote letters in spare moments, sometimes from front line trenches or in the calmer surroundings behind the lines.

What was sent to soldiers in WW1?

Soldiers’ families and friends often sent them packages of food, like chocolate, or tins of sardines and sweet biscuits to supplement their rations. Soldiers’ meat rations were reduced, and later on in the war they only ate meat once every nine days.

What is a trench letter?

It is the custom here for troops to take turn about in the front lines of trenches, one regiment taking a number of sections of the front trench for three days then moving back to the second line for another three days and then back to the third line, then back again to the front line. …

How long did letters take to deliver WW1?

Letters mailed from London or Lyons, Berlin or Bordeaux sometimes arrived at the Western front within three days, and although censorship of front-line correspondence and the customary embargoes placed on outgoing mail in advance of major battles often delayed the return mail, families at home could usually expect to …

How were the first letters sent?

The first ever handwritten letter was thought to have been sent by the Persian Queen Atossa in around 500 BC, according to the ancient historian Hellanicus. Their popularity as a way of sending messages grew as more people became literate.

How did the Civil war influence the mail service?

The U.S. Post Office Department introduced several improvements during the war which made it easier to send and receive mail. Soldiers were allowed to mail letters without stamps beginning in July 1861 by writing “Soldier’s Letter” on the envelope; postage was collected from the recipient.

How were ww1 supplies delivered?

Steam ship, steam locomotive and horse drawn wagon were the prime movers of supply for much of the war. While the automobile began to impact some areas (particularly with its use by the AEF) by the end of the war, it remained eclipsed by the horse.

What gifts did soldiers receive in ww1?

Christmas gifts Tobacco, clothing, sweets and chocolate, plum puddings, reading material and games were all sent to the front. The great and the good called on people to send gifts.

What was censored in ww1 letters?

Letters from the front line were censored, due to concerns that valuable information might fall into enemy hands if they were captured.

Who delivered letters ww1?

During World War One up to 12 million letters a week were delivered to soldiers, many on the front line. The wartime post was a remarkable operation, writes ex-postman and former Home Secretary Alan Johnson.

How did people deliver letters back then?

In early colonial times, letter writers sent their correspondence by friends, merchants and Native Americans via foot or horseback. Roads, which became known as post roads, were in better condition because of the mail coaches. …

Where did nurses write letters during World War 1?

World War 1 Letters Copy of letters from World War One to widows and families written by nurses in hospitals in France This moving letter from a Nursing Sister working in a British Red Cross Hospital in France during World War One was written to a patient’s widow.

What did German Red Cross nurses do during WWI?

German Red Cross nurses during WWI in 1915. Up until and even during World War I, women were relegated to traditional functions such as those of mother, home-keeper, and nurse. They were not expected to be leaders or managers. However, the women who entered the war as nurses would actually end up playing a much larger role than one would think.

How did nursing change during World War 1?

Another change that occurred in the nursing field was the ability of nurses to administer anesthetic. Originally, this responsibility was reserved for medical officers. This not only added immense value to the care provided by nurses during the war but also changed the speed and process required to keep up with the wounded.

Where did Australian nurses serve in World War 2?

A group of officers, nurses and men of the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station. The women worked in hospitals, on hospital ships and trains, or in casualty clearing stations closer to the front line. They served in locations from Britain to India, taking in France and Belgium, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.