Or in this case a postcard. Below is a postcard showing the post office in The Street, High Ongar. Taken in around 1910 it portrays a blissful scene. The post office is now a private house, but many of the buildings still remain.
The postcard is in my collection.
But turn the postcard over and often you find interesting facts in the message sent to a loved one. This one was sent by a son to his mother who lived in Nottingham and is dated 9th February 1915. The son Arthur Gurner is a soldier serving in the 2nd 7th Battalion Sherwood Foresters, who it would seem were stationed in the area at this time.
The message reads,
Dear Mother,
We have arrived here alright and it is a rum show no lights at night for fear of Zeppelins. We are only 22 miles from London and about 50(?) from the coast. I hope you are getting alright as we are having it a bit rough now but we shall get through. I will drop you a letter when I have a bit more time.
Arthur.
The 2/7th (Robin Hood) Battalion Territorial Force
The 2/7th were formed at Nottingham in 1914 as part of the Notts & Derby Brigade of the North Midland Division and then moved to Harpenden (Herts) and then Braintree in Essex.
On the 25th February 1915 they were mobilised for war and landed in France. The Robin Hoods formed three battalions during the First World War (1/7th, 2/7th and 3/7th Battalions). More than 4000 officers and men served with honour on the Western Front from 1915 to 1919, and in Dublin during the Irish Rebellion of 1916; over 1000 men died in service.
I wonder whether he survived the war and returned home?