Christmas special: Postcard Stockings galore! - Picture Postcard ...

� What
the postman
saw! �
Messages oon tthe bback oof
postcards
Probably
the most well-known
events of the second Anglo-
Boer War (1899-1902) were
the sieges of Kimberley,
Mafeking and Ladysmith.
Though the towns were of no
strategic importance, the
sieges tied down a large
number of Boer Soldiers who
otherwise could have taken
part in the invasion of Cape
Colony and perhaps changed
the course of the war. Ladysmith
was besieged from 2
November 1899 and relieved
on 28 Feb 1900 by General
Buller, a total of 116 days. On
the whole the siege was a
leisurely affair with no fighting
on a Sunday. The local
printer produced ‘Siege Postcards’
of which there are
three main types:
1. Has a soldier and sailor on
the bottom right of the cards
on the address side.
2. Has a soldier, sailor and a
Natal soldier.
3. A souvenir issue that lacks
the word NATAL under the
coat of arms on the address
side and was for philatelic
use only.
Each of types 1 and 2 have a
number of minor varieties.
The card illustrated is of type
1 with the message dated 9
Feb 1900, handed in at the
post office on the 10th. It was
held there until the first mail
out after the town was
relieved. Since no stamps
were available, as was the
case for the soldiers in the
field, the card was sent without
pre-payment. In transit it
was marked ‘postage done’
(10c), payable on receipt.
However, the War Office,
after some hesitation, agreed
to pay all postage on
unstamped cards and letters
and
the card was cancelled on
arrival at London on 25
March, reaching its destination,
Stamford, the following
day.
The message reads: “Dearest
Nettie, Just a line to tell you
we have been besieged 99
days to-day. I was wounded
in taking Gun Hill but am all
right now. I don’t know when
this will reach you so am just
trusting to luck. I will write?
after we are relieved. From
your affectionate brother (signature
illegible) Guides
Groups.”
With regard to the latter,
there were a number of
mounted Guides such as
Rimington’s Guides but they
were usually colonial volunteers,
and without a full signature
it is impossible to
identify his company.
The postman wouldn’t
have had time to read this
one! Jan managed to
squeeze 343 words onto a
real photographic postcard of
the “Pied Bull” public
house at Bull’s Cross,
Enfield. It reads “My
Dearest Ada, Got your
letter all right, sorry as
regards th enews I said
I’d send you tonight,
I’m sorry but it can’t be
done, for we heard
nothing one way or the
other, still, no news is
good news they say, so
we’ll wait & see, perhaps
I shall be able to
38 Picture Postcard Monthly December 2009
THE MENDIP POSTCARD CLUB
Postcard Fair
Saturday 19th December
at
Glastonbury Town Hall, Somerset
10am - 4pm
Free admission * All day refreshments
* Car parking
For details phone:
BARRIE ROLLINSON
01278 445497
Christmas with the Postcard
Artists 1898-1940
a new book by Peggy Hawksworth
Over 300 artists and 400 pictures
in colour. History, Folklore and
Biography. £64.
available from Borders, Amazon
or from the publishers
www.trafford.com/07-0143
(UK order desk 0845-230-9601)
tell you when I write tomorrow.
You said in your letter
that your Aunt Lil wished she
could have had one of yuor
coupons, well, she will be
able to have one of Mo’s
when she gets them if she’d
care to, it would do just as
well wouldn’t it. How’s that
head, still aching, Mums just
been telling me that an overdose
of Iron served her just
the same, the Parrishes did as
well if you remember, so I’m
hoping that after you’ve lessened
it a bit you’ll rid yourself
of that head ache, for goodness
knows you can do without
it. I’ve just finished that
sketch in Elsie’s album, &
written for a job that Mr
Abbott recommended to me,
& now I’m going to take a
lock off a door & mend it, not
a bad variety is it, tell your
Ma that I saw that chap about
the pictures this morning
again, & he said that he
beleives they’ne got the
order in to do some more, &
he expects to be able to get
them shortly. I had a look at
your feather last night, its
quite O.K. the next time I
come I’ll fetch it. Hasn’t it
been an awful day, I thought
two or three times I was an
iceberg. I reckon you’ve not
been hot, I
thought of you
several times &
wondered what
sort of a colour
your little N. was
(I don’t want to
give you away
you see, so I
don’t put it in
full). I reckon
you had the second
pink on
though. Still I hope
you see it before
long. I shall hear
tomorrow night
about that though, I
expect. Shall write
tomorrow night.
Fondest Love Jan.
(contributions ffrom JJohn
Markks aand SStephen SSellick)