by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2014

Princess Mary of the United Kingdom; Photo Credit – Wikipedia, US Library of Congress Collection

World War I had started in August of 1914, and as the Christmas season approached, 17-year-old Princess Mary, the only daughter of King George V of the United Kingdom, wanted to do something for the British soldiers and sailors. The princess’ original idea was to purchase a gift using her private allowance. When this idea became impractical, the idea of a public fund was developed. The first meeting of The Princess Mary’s Christmas Gift Fund was held on October 14, 1914, at the Ritz Hotel in London. Princess Mary was present and remained personally involved throughout the life of the fund.

The next day, the following letter signed by Princess Mary was released by Buckingham Palace:

“I want you now to help me to send a Christmas present from the whole of the nation to every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front. I am sure that we should all be happier to feel that we had helped to send our little token of love and sympathy on Christmas morning, something that would be useful and of permanent value, and the making of which may be the means of providing employment in trades adversely affected by the war. Could there be anything more likely to hearten them in their struggle than a present received straight from home on Christmas Day?

The response from the public was overwhelming. The gift was an embossed brass box with various provisions inside. The lid was decorated with a portrait of Princess Mary, surrounded by a laurel wreath and with an ‘M’ on both sides. ‘Imperium Britannicum’ was at the top with a sword and scabbard on either side. At the bottom are the words ‘Christmas 1914′ surrounded by battleships.  In the corners, are the names of the Allies: Belgium, Japan, Montenegro and Serbia with France and Russia on either side.

Photo Credit – www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk

The tins were filled with various items including tobacco, candy, spices, pencils, a Christmas card, and a picture of the princess. Over 426,000 of these tins were distributed on Christmas Day, 1914. However, a shortage of brass meant that many of the tins were delivered on later dates. When the fund closed in 1920, almost £200,000 had been donated and more than two and a half million tins had been delivered.

Photo Credit – http://harewood.org

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