A Boxful of Royal Treasures

A collector who bought an unopened, old cardboard box at an auction has revealed a treasure trove of gifts from the Royal Family.

100 years ago, our brave men joined up to fight in the First World War and as Christmas was approaching, Princess Mary, daughter of King George V came up with the idea of a fund which would pay for presents for soldiers and sailors fighting on the front line.

The fund became hugely successful and it is thought that more than 355,000 of the 5″ long tins were sent out to troops in 1914, although due to the pressures put on the postal service some soldiers did not get theirs until 1916 and by the end of the war 2.5 million boxes had been sent out.

Inside each box was stuffed with treats such as chocolate, cigarettes, sweets and a pencil in a bullet case. The card inside read ‘With best wishes for a victorious New Year, from the Princess Mary and friends at home.’

However,  it would appear that one box never made it to the front line but turned up, with its seal still intact, years later at an auction, where it was bought by a collector of WW1 memorabilia who has now, put it up for sale for almost £30,000.

Lady Emma Kitchener, great-grandniece of military great Lord Kitchener, will open the box for the first time, on June 28, at the Chalke Valley History Festival near Salisbury, Wiltshire were a select number of tins will be sold off for £300 to £350 with the rest going for auction, with a proportion of the proceeds being donated to a services charity.

100 years to deliver a parcel – that has to be a record! Have you ever sent a family heirloom or treasured item through the post that has never arrived or turned up well past it’s expected delivery date?

Get in touch below and tell us what you thought was lost but in fact was just ‘late in arriving’?