A real photographic postcard || Pictured on the front of this real photographic postcard are a corporal in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), whose trade badge above his stripes indicates that he has qualified as a medical orderly. His arm rests on the shoulder of his wife, who is holding their youngest child, whose face, like that of his or her oldest brother, is slightly blurred. Two older boys – one holding a ball – have been captured by the camera looking to the right, as is their soldier–father. The text on the reverse of the postcard states, ‘Photo by F W SPRY 25 Surrey Street Littlehampton West Sussex’. || || A British corporal and his family photographed in Littlehampton || Photograph || Front

‘F. W. Spry / Littlehampton in West Sussex’ is embossed across the bottom right-hand corner of this real photographic postcard. The badge that the older of the two boys pictured, standing behind their mother, is wearing on his left lapel appears to be that of the Royal Engineers, no doubt his father’s corps. The chevron on their soldier–father’s lower right-hand sleeve is an overseas service stripe, indicating that he had served overseas and that this photograph dates from 1918. || A real photographic postcard || || Photograph || A photograph of a British soldier and his family

A few clues give us a little extra insight into this photograph. The single stripe on the soldier–father’s sleeves tells us that he is a corporal. And an embossed stamp across the mother’s feet on this photograph informs us that it was taken in the studio of ‘N GRUT / GUERNSEY’. The ‘N’ stands for ‘Norman’, who was the son of noted photographer Thomas Alfred Grut; by the time of the First World War, the Grut studio was located in St Peter Port, Guernsey. || A real photographic postcard