Postcard
Postcards were a popular way to keep in touch with loved ones in faraway places. Family and friends sent postcards often depicting Australian flora and fauna while those serving overseas sent postcards that showed the exotic places they had seen on their way to the front line. Embroidered silk postcards were also common. Approximately 10 million of these were produced between 1915 and 1919. Many soldiers did not see their families for years – with no telephones or emails in those days, writing letters and postcards was how they kept in contact.
Hundreds of Australian soldiers also had their own photographs turned into postcards to send home to family and friends. These photographic postcards were also often traded amongst soldiers as mementoes of friendship.
Imagine you are a family member writing a postcard to a loved one serving overseas. What would you write about?