| Description
| A Christmas Present given to all armed forces serving abroad in 1914. The tin is empty inside however when it was issued to the troops it contained 1oz pouch of tobacco and packet of 20 cigarettes and a photograph of Princess Mary and a christmas card from 'The Princess Mary and friends at home.'' Tin is embossed with the head of Princess Mary with the M monogram on either side with the words 'Christmas 1914 below it, around the tin are circles with the words Belgium, France, Japan, Servia, Russia and Montenegro on it. This tin is in polished silver effect, the original tin was in brass however due to a brass shortage towards the end of 1914 other cheaper materials were used to manufacture it.
In 1914 Princess Mary, daughter of King George V and Queen Mary, helped to set up a Christmas fund for soldiers serving overseas. The ‘Sailors and Soldiers Christmas Fund’ relied on people donating money, so that a gift could be sent to men serving abroad in the First World War. This was later extended to men serving in the UK as well.
The fund was hugely successful, and a large amount of money was soon collected. Princess Mary arranged to have these brass tins made, showing an image of the Princess, as well as naming the allied countries around the edge of the box. The contents of the boxes varied; Indian troops received spices, whilst other soldiers found cigarettes or sweets in their tins. |
