Letter from King George

[Guest rbarryt]

My Christopher Thompson was captured. When he was released he received a letter from Buckingham Palace dated "1918" seemingly hand written and signed by the king "George R.I." and marked " 202100 Pte Thompson C. 2/6 or 2/8 W. Yorks.

Dads serial number was Private 4534.

Can I discover where he was captured and where he was held from this info and has anyone else seen or heard of a similar letter?

[Tom Morgan]

I've seen quite a few of these letters and I have the one sent to my Grandfather. I think every returned prisoner got one. It isn't hand-written, but the printing was to such a high standard that it looks as if it is. I'm afraid that there's nothing in the letter which would give you any help in locating where the recipient was captured. (Although the address might help you out by revealing your relative's Regiment, Battalion and regimental number, if you didn't already know that.)

Tom

[Andrew P]

For those who haven't seen such a letter. Here's one to a chap who was captured in the SWB.

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

I have one that was sent to Pte S R Edgar 25th Bn MGC, who was captured in the retreat of 1918, together with a nice portrait of the man himself dressed in his Royal Berks Regt uniform.

For some reason these very interesting pieces of ephemera are reasonably cheap to acquire and many seemed to have survived than say compared to scrolls.

Ian

[Bombadier]

Not the same thing, but my mother has a framed letter on her wall from Buckingham Palace. It was sent to my great grandmother, recognising the fact that she had, at the time, six sons serving in the army. More sons followed, but no further letters are in evidence.

has anybody else seen one of these?

Nigel

[jemimajane]

For those who haven't seen such a letter. Here's one to a chap who was captured in the SWB.

I also have one of these letters (without sellotape on it!) for my grandfather - who, by coincidence, was also in the SWB. The letter was folded up while the ink was still wet. So there are ink smudges on the bottom left-hand corner!