Donald McGill, the artist who illustrated this postcard, signed his name below the comic image that he created of a small boy swamped by an adult British soldier’s tunic, belt and cap and holding a toy sword. The caption beneath his name reads, ‘Brings the war home to you doesn’t it – all us military chaps about !’. On the back, the printed text states ‘Inter-Art Co., Red Lion Square, London, W.C. / “COMIQUE” Series No. 1329 British Manufacture Throughout.’. Also on the reverse is a handwritten name and address – ‘Master Fred Daly ? / Little Coates / Nr Grimsby’ – along with a message, dated ‘March 3rd 1916’. The message reads, ‘Isn’t this a fine chap just like Freddie. It is Bettys ? birthday she is having a fine time. I gave her a tricycle. How is Mummy & ? & Daddy. My love to them. Your loving Grannie x x x x x x x x’. The postmark informs us that it was stamped at Wilmslow, Manchester, at 7.45pm on 3 March 1916. || A British comic and patriotic postcard || || Recruitment and Conscription || Home Front || Postcard || A British comic postcard.

Reg Maurice created the scene on the front of this postcard, captioned ‘The old street looks just the same’. His name can be seeen in the bottom left-hand corner. The artist has depicted a soldier who has returned home, his steel helmet on his back, rifle over his shoulder and duffle bag in his hand. He is surveying a street scene in which children are playing and fighting and people are going about their daily business. Apart from ‘Printed in England.’ and ‘Regent Series’, the typeset details on the reverse have been obscured by a message written in black ink, which reads, ‘Dearest Freda / I received letter alright. Glad to hear you are all pretty well. I have a little cold. a dear it is. but am thinking of pawning it. My mate ? had a cold and he tried to drown it and when he came back I had to take his boots off he tried beer, but it was no use. Well Dear, heaps of love to you all, your ? Freddie ? xxxxxxxx’. The postcard is addressed to ‘Miss F Parsons / Kestle Farm / St Columb Minor / Cornwall’. The postmark is partially legible: ‘GT YARMOUTH in Norfolk / 11 / 10 OCT 18’. || A British sentimental postcard || || Postcard || A British sentimental postcard || Front

Photograph of Section of Lancer Regiment || Seated in the front row, slightly to the right tallest man is Robert Francis Kinnimont born in 1896 in County Down, Ireland. Like a lot of Irishmen he rarely spoke about his time in the British army. We think he was a Captain. He wore white or cream Jodphurs (trousers) and riding boots. The men are seated by rank, there are two officers seated in the middle and two non-commissioned officers either side of them, and all the privates are standing. The second officer is holding a riding crop - again an indication of Cavalry perhaps? The privates are wearing puttees, which cover the boots like a sock on the outside. He was a member of one of the Lancer Regiments we don't know based on the hat badge which is a skull and crossbones. The street name appears to be Brauerei which is Brewery. It is in Aschaffenburg which is a small town in Rhineland near the frontier imposed on the Germans after the war. As you see from the writing of her grandfather the men are part of the Rhine Bridge Guard There are two Vickers machine guns and an ammunition box in the photograph. We don't know what the Franz Ludwig on the wall signifies!! Maybe somebody could help us with that. This period of Robert's life would have been Peacekeeping, as hostilities ended in 1918. He had participated in fighting before that. Robert spoke some German, probably learned in his time here and was able to sing in German. He was a career soldier and went on to be posted to Palestine, Malta and possibly Africa based on the other pictures in the collection alongside this one. He returned to Ireland and got married and lived the remainder of his life in Ballinteer Gardens, Wales, Stillorgan, and Dalkey. He worked as a Civil Servant.