Cigarettes, cigarette box and photo box : Oberleutnant G Felmy, German Air Force

Small beige cardboard box containing cigarettes. Empty large blue cardboard box. The lid bears an image with the text 'FLAVIN-PLATTE HAUFF'.

Small beige cardboard box containing cigarettes and a box preiovusly containing photographs. The streamer was dropped from an aeroplane by Oberleutnant Gerhardt Felmy of the German Air Force in Palestine.

In the Middle East, Felmy was the leading German pilot facing No. 1 Squadron and earned the admiration of his adversaries. It was not uncommon for him to drop messages from and photographs of recently captured Australian airmen on their home field. The Australians did the same for the Germans and drank toasts to Felmy in their mess.

Message streamers were used to drop messages and other items to troops in the field during the First World War.