How did ww1 soldiers send letters home?
Regimental post orderlies would sort the mail at the roadside and carts would be wheeled to the front line to deliver it to individual soldiers. The objective was to hand out letters from home with the evening meal.
How did soldiers send letters home in ww2?
Called “V-mail” by the Americans, the process consisted of microfilming letters sent to and from military personnel, transporting them by ship in microfilm form, and blowing them up again at specified locations before delivering them to their addressees.
How often did soldiers write home in ww1?
By 1917, British soldiers were sending home between 1 and 2 million letters and postcards every day.
Who delivered letters ww1?
The British Army Postal Service
The British Army Postal Service delivered around 2 billion letters during the war. In 1917 alone, over 19,000 mailbags crossed the English Channel each day, transporting letters and parcels to British troops on the Western Front.
Why were soldiers encouraged to write letters back to their families?
Soldiers were also encouraged to write letters to friends and family in Britain. Most men decided it would be better to conceal the horrors of the trench warfare. As a result of the Defence of the Realm Act that was passed in 1914, all letters that the men wrote should have been read and censored by junior officers.
How did soldiers communicate with family in ww2?
When it came to talking to friends and family members, not much changed. They still had to do it the old-fashioned way: writing letters. Phones were sometimes available, but these occurrences were rare and unpredictable. In the meantime, soldiers wrote long, handwritten messages to loved ones (and vice versa).
What was the average life expectancy of a soldier in ww1?
A soldier’s average life expectancy while in the trenches was six weeks. Some of the people who were mostly at risk of early death were the junior officers and the stretcher bearers.
What was censored in ww1 letters?
Mail, telegrams, pamphlets and books, news and newspapers, plays, photographs, films, and speech were all subject to censorship – or restrictions – during the First World War. Modelled along British lines, censorship was designed to stop information like troop movements from falling into enemy hands.
What is a blue Star family?
This special flag, displayed only by military families, is where the phrase “Blue Star Family” comes from and refers to the immediate family members of an active duty service member. The Blue Star Family tradition is rich in history and dates back to World War I.
Why did soldiers keep journals?
Soldiers were officially forbidden from keeping diaries for similar security purposes, but many did so anyway. Writing likely helped these soldiers remember things and try to make sense of what they were experiencing. For those of us who get to read those diaries now, it also helps us learn so much more.
How long did it take for letters to be sent during ww2?
Letters in World War II Soldiers and sailors who shipped overseas couldn’t make phone calls, and of course, e-mails and text messages hadn’t been invented. That left letters. The average soldier wrote six letters a week. Those letters took anywhere from 1-4 weeks to cross the ocean to the United States.
Why do Marines dig holes to sleep in?
This fighting hole or foxhole features several elements that help keep you dry, warm, and out of the wind. It also keeps you out of sight and protected from shrapnel and gunfire.