Princess Mary Christmas gift box
The Princess Mary Christmas gift box was a brass tin containing a number of gifts intended to be distributed to all members of the armed forces of the British Empire at Christmas 1914, during World War I.[1][2]
Princess Mary Christmas fund
Following the outbreak of the
The boxes
The funding was used to manufacture small boxes made of brass; however, due to metal shortages in the later stages of the war some tins were made from plated base metals or alloys.[6] Each tin was decorated with an image of Mary and other military and imperial symbols along with the names of the UK's then allies.[5] The design was by Stanley Adshead and Stanley Ramsey.[5] Obtaining enough brass strip to make the boxes remained a continual problem, a situation not helped when a large consignment from the US was lost due to the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.[5] Not all the items would fit in the brass box, so the collective gift including the brass box was contained and distributed in a cardboard box.[7]
A set of dies used to make the boxes was donated to the Imperial War Museum by Princess Mary.[5]
The overall gift
The standard gift (referred to as the smokers gift in some post war publications) consisted of the box itself, twenty cigarettes in a yellow monogrammed wrapper, an ounce of pipe tobacco, a pipe, a Christmas card and a photograph of Princess Mary.[5][8][9] It was meant to also include a tinder lighter, but a shortage of these meant that in the case of the army they were often substituted with other gifts and those in the navy received a bullet pencil.[5] The bullet pencil consisted of a silver tipped pencil (either sterling silver or nickel silver) in a case made from a spent .303 cartridge recovered from UK firing ranges and marked with an M.[10]
A non-smokers gift was also produced at a ratio of 1 for every 28 smokers gifts.[5] It consisted of the box, Christmas card and photograph of Princess Mary,[5] but also, instead of smoking related materials it contained a packet of "acid tablets" (a type of sour lemon flavoured sweet) and a khaki writing case with pencil, paper and envelopes.[5][11]
Three further gift types were produced for Indian troops.[5] Most Indian troops received the box itself, cigarettes, a tin box of spices, a packet of sugar candy and a Christmas or New Year card.[5] Sikhs got the same without the cigarettes and a third gift for "followers"[note 1] consisted of a tin box of spices and a Christmas or New Year card.[5]
A version was also produced for nurses.[5] It consisted of, again, the box itself, a packet of chocolate and the usual Christmas or New Years card.[5]
With the aim of every man at the front and every man on Royal Navy ships getting a gift having been met by 5 January 1915, attention was turned to the remaining forces ultimately under British command (classified as class B and C by the committee).[5] For these, it was decided that the gift would consist of the box, a New Year card and a pencil.[5]
Distribution
The boxes were originally intended for "every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front" on Christmas day 1914,[13] but eligibility was soon extended to everyone "wearing the King's uniform on Christmas day".[6] Whilst around 400,000 were delivered by Christmas, distribution was not completed until 1920, by which time approximately 2.5 million had been delivered.[6]
Notes
- Army of India and performed administrative or other service functions.[12]
References
- ISBN 978-1-84954-609-6.
- ^ Fergus Reed. "Princess Mary Gift Fund 1914 Box and Contents". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-136-45353-3.
- ISBN 978-1-78088-401-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Condell, Diana (1989). "A gift for Christmas: the story of Princess Mary's gift Fund". Imperial War Museum Review. 4: 69–78.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7509-6038-0.
- ^ Barry, Martin N (September 2022). "Introduction". 'A Box of Conflict Memories' - Materiality, Memory and Princess Mary's Gift Box 1914-2020 (PDF) (PhD). University of Bristol. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-4738-3375-3.
- ISBN 9781913491536.
- ^ Barry, Martin N (September 2022). "Bullet Pencil". 'A Box of Conflict Memories' - Materiality, Memory and Princess Mary's Gift Box 1914-2020 (PDF) (PhD). University of Bristol. pp. 69–72. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ Barry, Martin N (September 2022). "Acid Tablet (Sweets)". 'A Box of Conflict Memories' - Materiality, Memory and Princess Mary's Gift Box 1914-2020 (PDF) (PhD). University of Bristol. pp. 76–77. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-107-02746-6.
- ^ Read, Fergus. "Princess Mary Gift Fund 1914 Box and Contents". Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- Doyle, Peter (2021). For Every Sailor Afloat, Every Soldier at the Front: Princess Mary's Christmas Gift 1914. Lewes: Unicorn Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-91-349153-6.