"Do you care for this postcard?" wrote my grandfather Joe to Gladys, my grandmother, back in August 1917. It's by T. Corbella, an Italian artists who churned out a lot of kitsch romantic postcard art at this time, which were much in demand among the troops sending a message home. Joe apologizes that he didn't have time to write his usual Sunday letter (I don't know if any of these survive) because they've been exceedingly busy, preparing for an important regimental order. That would have been the Battle of Langemark - part of the third Ypres offensive, and just before Passchendale. I'm so very glad that he managed to make it back to Yorkshire - despite being gassed - and lived long enough (dying 86 years ago today) to father two sons - my own father, and his brother Don.
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