Histories, biographies & more

‘For Every Sailor Afloat, For Every Soldier at the Front’: Princess Mary’s Gift, Christmas 1914

by Peter Doyle

Many of us will know of the little brass tin, gifted by Princess Mary, 107 years ago, to the men in the trenches and serving at sea in 1914. Iconic, and symbolic of those idealistic early days of the war perhaps, the tin was treasured at the time, and in the intervening decades has reached a somewhat mythological status. Professor Peter Doyle, South Bank University, turns his attention to this iconic artefact and recounts the unfolding events, and stupendous efforts, that were made to ensure that the 17-year-old Princess Mary’s wish regarding