Medway Discussion Group had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon looking at old postcards and hearing stories associated with them.
One member had built up a huge collection, mainly from an antique shop in Maidstone, where she is known as ‘Mrs Postcard’. There were collections on themes such as transport and adverts, and others containing Edwardian songs.
Another member brought along postcards of a village associated with part of her family history. One member had postcards sent between the owners and guests of a B&B business. There was a collection which had been compiled by another member’s husband and a 1916 image which was a personal photo made into a postcard. There were local postcards showing the Medway area and the story of a trip to London and the temporary loss of a glass eye!
Postcards from World War One were shared, which had been collected by a medical officer on the ship Ellora. The postcards followed his journey around the Mediterranean.
We were entertained by one researcher who purchased postcards related to the local area and then researched the senders and recipients. A tale of two postcards, a house and a murder ensued!
Finally, we all learned something new thanks to a postcard that detailed ‘The Language of Stamps.’ The orientation of the stamp could send a message such as ‘I love you’ or ‘Write soon’.
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Report by Helen Stenhouse