Caption: Mary's Christmas gift - 'every sailor afloat, every soldier at the front' would receive one.
About this talk: In 1914, Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V, was just 17. Yet with the world war two months old, the young princess was destined to make her mark. She would send a Christmas gift to all those serving in uniform, ‘afloat and at the front.’ With great determination, she set about her task to provide her gift to all those on active service. This month is the first time the full story of the princess’s gift has been told. Using original sources, texts and archives, and illustrating original surviving objects, this talk unfolds the true story of the fund and its wider meaning, set, as it is, in the context of hope as provided by the unofficial Truce in No Man’s Land that has been so well documented.
About the speaker: Peter Doyle (pictured below) specialises in the understanding of military terrain, with special reference to the two world wars. He is also an author who focusses on the British experience of war, and the material culture of war. A member of the British Commission of Military History, and secretary of the Parliamentary All Party War Heritage Group, he is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Author of many works of military history and the material culture of warfare, he is a regular speaker at conferences and in invited lectures, he has given numerous specialist battlefield talks and battlefield tours, and has worked as a consultant on archaeological digs both at home and abroad. Peter is emeritus professor of history at London South Bank University, and lectures on First World War trench warfare at Goldsmiths, University of London.
News! In-person preview: 7th December 2024 14:00-17:00
To mark the 110th anniversary of the 1914 Christmas Truce and Princess Mary's 1914 Christmas Gift, Peter Doyle with Taff Gillingham will be hosting talks on both topics, plus an exhibition and with a special limited edition catalogue, at Great War Huts, Brook Farm Camp, Bell's Lane, Bury St Edmunds, IP29 5NW, UK.
Click on this link for full details