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Green Envelope and letter from the War Office

Mitchell, Sheila Macbeth, 1917, Document
Green Envelope and letter from the War Office
Green Envelope and letter from the War Office
Green Envelope and letter from the War Office
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Category
Library Item
Item no
41421
Title
Green Envelope and letter from the War Office
Description
Letter from War Office to Sheila requesting her for duty with the British Armies on 26th February 1917. Also a Green envelope, letters from soldiers on active service were subjected to censorship by their junior officers to ensure that details such as location and military objectives were not disclosed. However, as a privilege, soldiers were given one green envelope per month in which they could send uncensored personal and private letters to loved ones.

The soldier had to sign to verify that they had only included private and family matters. The letters were not opened or read by regimental censors but as a deterrent a random sample were opened at HQ and if a soldier had betrayed the trust placed in him he would be court-martialled and punished.



Artist / maker
Mitchell, Sheila Macbeth
Date
1917
Size
35.5 x 26.5 cm
Type
Copyright
Reproduced by kind permission of the family of Sheila Macbeth Mitchell
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