Princess Mary Gift Tin

Embossed, gilded brass rectangular tin with a hinged lid. The lid is embossed with a profile of Princess Mary surrounded by a wreath. The letter M is embossed on either side of the wreath in cursive script. A decorative border around the lid contains the words 'IMPERIUM BRITTANNICUM' at the top and 'CHRISTMAS 1914' at the bottom. The corners and sides contain the names of Britain's allies between decorations of flags, ships and weapons. The nations represented are, from the top right hand corner, 'JAPAN', 'RUSSIA', 'MONTENEGRO', 'SERVIA', 'FRANCE' and 'BELGIUM'. On the cover of the card is an 'M' with a crown above and the year '1915' below. The box contains a cardboard New Year's greeting card from Princess Mary, a small pencil in the form of a silver headed bullet and one packet of cigarettes (open but complete) and one packet of tobacco which is unopened.

In mid 1914, Princess Mary, daughter of King George V and Queen Mary proposed that every sailor and solider deserved a Christmas Present. She published a letter which was released by Buckingham Palace:
"I want you now to help me to send a Christmas present from the whole of the nation to every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front. I am sure that we should all be happier to feel that we had helped to send our little token of love and sympathy on Christmas morning, something that would be useful and of permanent value, and the making of which may be the means of providing employment in trades adversely affected by the war. Could there be anything more likely to hearten them in their struggle than a present received straight from home on Christmas Day?

Please will you help me?"

Using the public funds raised for the project, Princess Mary was able to distribute these boxes to soldiers and sailors for Christmas 1914, however due to distribution problems, some soldiers did not receive theirs until years later.