World War I

Evocative photo by Advance Photo Co., numbered 158.

I liked the look of this World War I patriotic.

Tuck Oilette no. 2552, postd at Toronto on September 23, 1914 to Mr. R. Barkley, Ballarat Street, Ravenhill Road, Belfast, Ireland: "205 Keele St., Toronto, Dear R. Just a PC to let you see I am alive + well but very homesick. Drop me a line + let me know how you are getting along + give me all the news. "Are you going to the war" isn't it awful. Write soon. A. L. McI." [not sure about the "I"]

Posted at Gladstone, Man., November 20, 1914 to Miss L. Wright, 222 F---l St, Ottawa: "Gladstone Nov. 18 - Received your card + was glad to know you have arrived safely. We are all having some cold weather between 25 + 30, with snow. Miss Frampton's sister is in the store + Mr. Gerald has gone to the war. Everything as usual here. With best wishes. M. McI. [?]" Stedman Bros. G.D.C. 4627, with Brantford and Winnipeg given as the company's locations. Unrecorded by Smith.

This is a WW I Canadian camp store in England, apparently run by Eaton's.

Very unusual card detailing the sabotage of the Peabody Ltd. Factory at Walkerville (Windsor), Ont. on 21 June 1915. Unused.

Shorncliffe Camp in Kent was one of the main training sites for Canadian troops. This poem gives a sense of their mood before crossing the Channel.

Another camp used by Canadians. This one was in Hampshire. The card is by F. Frith & Co., Ltd., Reigate and is number 67949. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramshott_Camp

Valentine & Sons, no. 110,214, postmarked at Brandon July 12, 1919 with a war slogan cancel "Buy War Savings Stamps and Help Reconstruction". To Miss E. Kusher, 11 Bartholomew Rd., Kentish Town, London N.W. 5, England: "12-7-19 Arrived here at 4 p.m. The whole town out to see us through. Love, Geo." The sender would quite possibly have been a returning soldier. Perhaps Miss Lusher was a young lady he had met overseas.