Through History
B
y December 1914 World War I had been
raging for five months. The widely held
belief that the conflict would be over by
Christmas had proven to be wrong and it
was clear that the soldiers would be stuck
in the trenches. Princess Mary, daughter of King
George V and Queen Mary, soon hatched a plan
to provide a Christmas gift to all servicemen,
similar to Queen Victoria’s during the Boer War(pictured above), launching a fund that raised
£162,591 – about £17 million in today’s money.
Committees were appointed to organise the
contents of the gift tins and liaise with the
relevant companies. Initially intended just for
servicemen overseas, they were eventually
also given to those at home, and the next of
kin of casualties and prisoners of war. The gift
is primarily remembered for its distinctivebrass box, which was embossed with a relief
of Princess Mary. In total some 2.5 million tins
were distributed.
Remarkably, the full story of this amazing
achievement has never been told. Now,
renowned historian of World War I, Peter Doyle,
recounts the complete tale in a lavish book ‘For
Every Sailor Afloat, Every Soldier At The Front’,
which is full of superb full-colour illustrations.For Christmas of 1914, a vast effort was made to supply every British
serviceman with a unique gift, initiated by the 17-year-old Princess Mary
A CHRISTMAS GIFT
FOR THE TRENCHES
Ma
in^ i
ma
ge:
©^ P
ete
r^ D
oyle