First World War: The Postcard Collection

by Nigel Sadler

The Great War (1914-1918), later known as the First World War, brought together the major European countries and their empires into the world's greatest conflict so far seen. Over 70 million people worldwide were mobilised into military service with 10 million of these service personnel killed in action and a further 7 million civilians also killed. This total death toll made up 1 per cent of the world s population at the time. The war occurred at the heyday of the postcard as a social media. This book looks at the role of the postcard in the war, both as a propaganda tool by the authorities and also as a communication means between friends and family split apart by the war. The once valued postcards holding the image of a loved one now often only show an anonymous fighter with no details of who they were or what their outcome was, while the censored scenes of trenches and battlefields hide the true horrors of the fighting and the scenes witnessed.

Genres: World War I

96 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2014

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at The Great War thru the postcards British soldiers were able to send back home. Quick read and interesting.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of postcards from WWI.

This was an odd book containing both chilling facts and many reproductions of postcards from the conflict.

Reading time around one hour.