A British sentimental postcard || The faintly inscribed initials of the artist who drew the scene on the front of this postcard – ‘M S W’ – have been inscribed beneath its title, ‘The Absent One.’, which has been printed in the bottom right-hand corner. Above, a small girl is shown standing on a chair beside her mother, kissing a photograph of her soldier–father on the mantelpiece. On the back, the printed details inform us that the postcard was produced by ‘C. W. Faulkner & Co. Ltd., London, E.C.’, along with ‘British Production (Copyright). / Series 1525 E’. There is a name and address written in black ink, as well as a message to ‘Miss K. Carr / Waterstock Rectory / Wheatley S. O. / Oxon.’. The message reads, ‘I hope to have a letter from you in the morning. There is now only one post. We have had no rain since I came. Daddie said it was snowing at Keswick. Mother’. The postmark is incomplete, but the postcard may have been posted on 24 September 1916. || || Postcard || A British sentimental postcard

The main scene on the front of this postcard shows a woman playing the piano, with her daughter standing alongside her holding a sheet of music. Both are looking towards the viewer. Above them is a framed photograph of a British soldier who is writing a letter. The verse printed at the bottom, headed ‘To the Absent One.’, reads: ‘Whilst you are absent we think of you / And we sing the songs you used to do / With a longing and hope in a little while / We shall welcome you home with a loving smile.’. The printed details on the reverse include ‘JTC London E.’ and ‘The Pioneer Series’. || A British sentimental postcard || || Front || A British sentimental postcard || Postcard

The central image on the front of this postcard depicts a boy writing a letter, with a photograph of a British soldier in front of him. The scene is headed ‘Greetings Sincere from Daddy’s Boy’. The verse below reads, ‘A happy Christmas to my Dad, / Wherever he may be; / I wish that I might come to him, / And sit upon his knee, / And hear him tell with joy and pride / Of English bravery.’. ‘Bamforth (Copyright)’ appears to the left, and ‘Madeleine St Clair’ to the right. The postcard has been addressed in blue ink to ‘315.269 / Gnr Gunner A E Kirby / 1/1, Wessex Hants / RGA Royal Garrison Artillery / BEF British Expeditionary Force / France’. The message alongside reads, ‘Dear Dad / Just a card to wish you a Very Happy Xmas / from your loving son Arthur’. The printed details include ‘Bamforth & Co., Ltd., Publishers Holmfirth (England) and New York / “XMAS GREETINGS” Series No. 5011 Printed in England.’. || A British sentimental postcard || || Front || Postcard || A British sentimental postcard