Jan 30, 2018
At the start of the First World
War, there was a mass outpouring of sympathy and charity for the
men fighting for Britain. The Royal family were not immune to this
and in October 1914, the young Princess Mary, inspired by her
visits to hospitals for injured soldiers, wanted to show her
support. So she publicly announced her intentions to provide a
gift for ‘every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front’. Such
decorative boxes were fine for enlisted men, but what about the
spies? They couldn't be seen with readily identifiable
hardware.
Ross Davies, BSI ("The Temple") joined us to talk about just what
these boxes were and how they may have included an item or two
related to Sherlock Holmes. But digging a little deeper, he
discovered the possibility that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and
publisher George H. Doran may have been collaborating to provide
propaganda to the troops.
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Princess Mary Boxes were given to soldiers, sailors, nurses and more in WWI
You can read more about the Christmas Gift Fund and the history of the boxes on the Harewood site.
The legacy continues with UK4U presently.
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