Images (post cards) of Mesopotamia

[Tomkinson]

This Post Card shows the British General Hospital at Basra at the time of the Mesopotamian Campaign.

The card was sent from my great Grandfather to my great Grandmother.

The back of the card reads:

Dearie

This is just a plain photo of one of the hospitals no doubt this is the place where the Wrights (sic) lad of Lidget Green (an area of Bradford) passed away in January I received PC from Kathleen (his daughter) a big push in France but out here it has been ? on other front the Turks have retreated for miles cleared well away.

Heaps of love and kisses.

The card is not dated but possibly late 1917 early 1918.

[Tomkinson]

This Post Card shows The Strand, Basra.

Apologies for the language used by my Granfather in describing the scence to my Grandmother but these were very different times.

I do not wish to offend anyone but offer this as a piece of social history and trust it will be accepted as such.

Dear Annie

On photograph you will see by the river side niggerswashing two of them with only a piece of rag tied about them and also walking on the road you will see a chap dressed pretty near like an Englishman but he is American the hat he carries is a red one there are plenty of these chaps down there but where we are now in nobody only Indians and ourselves.

Your darling Alf

Who the American is one could only guess. The picture post card is not dated. Possibly late 1917?

Cheers

Mike Tomkinson

Bradford

[Tom Morgan]

How odd that Alf describes the scene including the nationality of the man walking along the road, and the colour of the hat he carries, when this seems to be a Raphael Tuck and Co. tourist postcard, bought from a shop. I wonder why he would do that?

Tom