Forget me not: Postcards from the First World War

This exhibition displayed a variety of postcards from Amgueddfa Cymru − National Museum Wales collections, which were made, written and sent throughout the war. Writing and sending postcards became an important way for soldiers and their families to keep in touch. Receiving a few lines from the front was precious and lifted the morale of worried relatives back home.

At the height of the war, a staggering 19,000 mail sacks a day crossed the English Channel to the war zone. Cards and letters sent from the front were censored to avoid leaking military secrets. The authorities checked over 370,000 items of mail each day. The postcards in the exhibition highlighted the diversity of the collection. Some are un-posted souvenirs; others are inscribed with poignant handwritten messages from the frontline. From mass-produced embroidered cards sent from France to photographic portraits of soldiers and sentimental illustrations of separated lovers, the collection offered an insight into the everyday experiences of the ordinary men and women whose lives were touched by war. Taking inspiration from the heartfelt postcards sent during the war, the National Waterfront Museum also hosted creative workshops where people could make their own cards using simple embroidery or colouring techniques.

Top left: Postcard entitled ‘La Journee du Pas-de-Calais’. Illustrated with two soldiers in a trench, another in bunker. Top right: Embroidered postcard sent to Doris Langdon of St Fagans from a soldier serving in France. Bottom left: Field Service postcard printed with multiple choice messages and space for signature. Decorated with red, white and blue silk ribbon. Bottom right: Reverse of ‘La Journee du Pas-de-Calais’ postcard, handwritten message with hexagonal field censor stamp. Sent by a soldier in France to Miss Edith Smart of the Heathcock Pub, Llandaff, Cardiff, on 20 August 1916. All images © Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales